Alaska Airlines Center, University of Alaska Anchorage

Anchorage, AK
Construction Cost: $80 million
Area / Square Feet: 198,300
Occupancy Date: August 2014

The Alaska Airlines Center at the University of Alaska Anchorage is a 5,000-seat athletic arena that includes an 800-seat auxiliary gym, a state-of-the-art sports medicine suite, an indoor two-lane walking and jogging track, an athletic fitness center, a gymnastics training and competition gym, a 1,500-square-foot divisible meeting room, and a separate training and strength conditioning facility for athletes. The facility also supports the university’s specialized athletic needs, including skiing and ice hockey.

In addition, the AAC features the Varsity Sports Grill restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, taking full advantage of views to the nearby Chugach Mountains. It also includes six fixed concessions stands.

The signature rounded walls and roof are covered in metal sheet, creating a distinctive ovoid shape that is unlike any building on campus. The design allows snow to shed from the roof — a critical feature in the Alaskan climate. Built adjacent to the Providence Alaska Medical Center, the two buildings share a 500-space parking lot. A variety of energy-saving steps were taken with the project, as well. The facility uses geothermal cooling, while bioswales are located around the grounds to purify stormwater runoff. No upward lighting is used in an effort to minimize light pollution.