By a 4-1 vote, the state architecture review board has rejected design plans for the initial phase of the VCU Athletic Village at Virginia Commonwealth University, even as it endorsed a redesigned iteration of a massive dorm being planned by the university.
As reported by Jack Jacobs of Richmond BizSense, the Art and Architectural Review Board (AARB) rejected design plans for the Athletic Village’s track-and-field complex during Friday's preliminary review of the project.
The project involves construction of a stadium with a 400-meter outdoor track and natural turf soccer field, in addition to two practice fields on a 12-acre site, according to Jacobs. The stadium would feature a steel shade canopy structure above an aluminum grandstand. The building would feature the black-and-gold university colors, as well as steel cross bracing to establish an industrial aesthetic for the building in line with the surrounding area."
"Board members called the design of the project’s track-and-field stadium uninviting, with one likening the Hermitage-side facade to the back of a shopping center, and encouraged its design team to figure out a way to give the project a more welcoming appearance," Jacobs wrote.
“Consider ways to make it inviting to the community to fill those seats,” AARB member Anne Smith told the design team, as reported by BizSense, though she said she appreciated the simplicity of the stadium.
Keith Van Inwegen, VCU assistant director of planning and design, told that board that as a sports venue, the stadium would project a welcoming feeling while in use, thanks to the action on the field, fans coming and going and tents and food trucks that would be set up for events, Jacobs reported.
Another member of the project’s design team admitted that the group struggled with how to approach the stadium’s facade on Hermitage, and the team was aware of the need for visual interest but was constrained by the projects $38 million budget.
Originally approved by the VCU Board of Visitors as a 15,600-square-foot stadium with seating for 1,500, the facility is now planned to have open-bleacher seating for 1,000 people in a stadium of about 9,000 square feet, according to Jacobs.
Additional AARB concerns included the project's landscaping, lighting and accessibility.
VCU intends to return to the board with a new proposal as it seeks project approval.
