Grace College and Theological Seminary

Construction Cost: $8.5 million
Area / Square Feet: 63,287
Occupancy Date: May 2007

The growing Grace student body needed a multipurpose facility that would allow gatherings for everything from chapel services to basketball and volleyball games. The Winona Lake, Ind., business community needed a place to hold conferences, trade shows and business meetings. As a result, the Orthopaedic Capital Center (OCC) was designed with flexibility in mind.

The OCC features a movable stage and the latest in sports flooring, event seating and energy-efficient arena lighting. The arena provides 1,800 seats for athletic events, 2,600 seats for concerts and trade shows and 650 seats for banquet events. The OCC also features three meeting rooms and houses the Grace College athletic department.

A large horizontal metal panel “rim” anchors the top of the facility exterior. Understated use of brick on the front facade and vertical piers at the perimeter mirror the color and texture of the primary building materials on campus. The thoughtful placement of glass in a horizontal band below the rim reinforces a bowl concept. Additional glass, along with the barrel-vaulted roofs, clearly identifies the building entrances.