A Modern Field House

by Marcy Marro | October 1, 2020 12:00 am

Jeanne Jackson, FAIA, LEED AP, principal-in-charge for the project with VCBO Architecture, says a metal building was selected based both on the type of large and open space needed, as well as the economy and speed of construction. The metal building system also helped accommodate a very tight site, where the Hawk House was slipped in between the existing building and the existing football field and running track. “Due the adjacency to the existing building, we had to create a two-hour fire wall and a 4-inch expansion joint to separate the two buildings,” she adds.

There were multiple goals for the design of the Hawk House, Jackson says, including providing a large, conditioned open space accommodating multiple student athletic activities, including golf team practice, marching band practice, baseball, cheer, drill team, football and soccer practices, as well as regular physical education classes; creating a mezzanine space that overlooks the football field that can be used for seminars, testing and to entertain boosters and potential student athletes; housing a concessions space and large toilet room facility for the sports held on the adjacent football/soccer/lacrosse field; and providing a convenient space for the football team to gather before and during games.

As part of the project, a partial mezzanine with 30-foot eave heights cantilevers several feet away from the building in certain locations to create an observation room complete with continuous windows that overlook the football field and track, allowing guests to watch football and track and field events during inclement weather conditions. One of the challenges with the observation room was that the lean-to frames used to create the room also had to be supported by the cantilevered mezzanine beams. Alan Frisby, president of A.D. Constructors, says that this is because the primary building columns from the recessed footprint below could not pass through the open space. “The columns supporting the roof bear upon the cantilevered mezzanine floor support beans,” he explains.

The main portion of the facility houses a 50-yard by 30-yard artificial turf practice field with grid lines, as well as a batting cage that is suspended from the ceiling and can be raised and lowered as needed. An under-hung protective netting spreads around the perimeter of the building. To complete the facility, there is a large meeting room upstairs and concession stands downstairs, as well as a referee room. Also included in the project is a 1,546-square-foot separate garage.

The exterior of the building is clad with American Building’s Architectural III metal wall panels in custom colors Midnight Bronze and Silver Metallic, as well as Houston-based MBCI’s FW-120 panels in Midnight Bronze and red. Additionally, the project features spray foam insulation for the walls and R-30 roof insulation. Along with an economical and high-efficiency mechanical system, the glazing is high-performance glass with solar coating.

“The material palette was selected based on the modern, sleek aesthetic we wanted to convey,” Jackson says, “the durability of metal panels, as well as the ability of the panels to have applied super graphics.”

According to Jackson, one of the most unique features about the project is the interior and exterior branding package. “On the exterior, the school mascot, the hawk, is featured, with artwork of our local native red-tailed hawk. On the interior, the super graphics honor all student sports, enlivening the otherwise plain white walls.”

Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/articles/a-modern-field-house/

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