Advances in glass, and awareness of how best to apply them, have brought daylighting into more common use in ice rinks, making these spaces much more pleasant, bright and airy than the concrete-block and metal-paneled refrigerators of old.
A good example can be found in Sheffield, Mass., where Berkshire School's twin-rink Jackman L. Stewart Athletic Center was designed by Moser Pilon Nelson Architects of Wethersfield, Conn., to accommodate tennis and graduation in inclement weather as well as hockey. Glass at the eaves and curved rakes, insulated for energy efficiency and etched to diffuse direct sunlight, is angled along the north wall for the twin purposes of acoustics and aesthetics — the angle reduces reverberation and allows the glass to be radial with the curve of the roof. The comfortable interior makes this facility a rare high school venue that can efficiently host varsity, JV and thirds boys' and girls' hockey teams, and also meet the voice-intelligibility requirements of choir recitals — "The Stew" is the home of the Berkshire Choral Festival for six weeks every summer.
More Design Details: Treated Glass Lends Fitness Intimacy
This article originally appeared in the November 2014 issue of Athletic Business with the title "Design Details"
