The leadership of the North Shore School District, community leaders and BBS Architects, Landscape Architects and Engineers celebrated the official opening of the new athletic field, running track and supporting facilities.
The district encompasses a high school, middle school and three elementary schools. BBS served the district as architect and engineer for the project. Savin Engineers provided construction management services.
“The new, $3.8-million, 100,000-square-foot sports complex replaced and expanded the deteriorated facilities which were insufficient for the needs of the district’s 2,850 students,” says BBS Director of Architecture Joseph B. Rettig, AIA, LEED AP. “The new complex includes a multi-use, synthetic turf field; an eight-lane running track; and a 1,700-square-foot concession, bathroom and storage building.”
The creative financing for the project included a combination of the district’s private/not-for-profit and other public sources. This public/private combination of funding sources was unusual for a school-related construction project, but made financing easier at the time when local property tax increases in New York State are capped at 2%. The support of the Viking Foundation allowed the district to utilize funds raised through direct taxation to maintain the necessary level of instructional activities, while still making the construction of the new field and track possible.
The BBS team faced several engineering challenges, including the requirement to protect a neighboring wetland recharge basin and a poorly draining fill and soil at the site of the new field.
The complex also includes a new, one-story, multi-purpose building that serves as the main entry port to the athletic facilities. The building consists of two structures connected by a pitched steel truss roof with gray asphalt shingles and a reverse gable. The entryway between the buildings is protected by a decorative iron gate. The entire athletic facility received a new security system. +
Related Stories
| May 18, 2011
Raphael Viñoly’s serpentine-shaped building snakes up San Francisco hillside
The hillside location for the Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine building at the University of California, San Francisco, presented a challenge to the Building Team of Raphael Viñoly, SmithGroup, DPR Construction, and Forell/Elsesser Engineers. The 660-foot-long serpentine-shaped building sits on a structural framework 40 to 70 feet off the ground to accommodate the hillside’s steep 60-degree slope.
| May 18, 2011
New center provides home to medical specialties
Construction has begun on the 150,000-sf Medical Arts Pavilion at the University Medical Center in Princeton, N.J.
| May 18, 2011
Improvements add to Detroit convention center’s appeal
Interior and exterior renovations and updates will make the Detroit Cobo Center more appealing to conventioneers. A new 40,000-sf ballroom will take advantage of the center’s riverfront location, with views of the river and downtown.
| May 18, 2011
One of Delaware’s largest high schools seeks LEED for Schools designation
The $82 million, 280,000-sf Dover (Del.) High School will have capacity for 1,800 students and feature a 900-seat theater, a 2,500-seat gymnasium, and a 5,000-seat football stadium.
| May 18, 2011
Carnegie Hall vaults into the 21st century with a $200 million renovation
Historic Carnegie Hall in New York City is in the midst of a major $200 million renovation that will bring the building up to contemporary standards, increase educational and backstage space, and target LEED Silver.
| May 17, 2011
Redesigning, redefining the grocery shopping experience
The traditional 40,000- to 60,000-sf grocery store is disappearing and much of the change is happening in the city. Urban infill sites and mixed-use projects offer grocers a rare opportunity to repackage themselves into smaller, more efficient, and more convenient retail outlets. And the AEC community will have a hand in developing how these facilities will look and operate.
| May 17, 2011
Architecture billings index fell in April, hurt by tight financing for projects
The architecture billings index, a leading indicator of U.S. construction activity, fell in April, hurt by tight financing for projects. The architecture billings index fell 2.9 points last month to 47.6, a level that indicates declining demand for architecture services, according to the American Institute of Architects.
| May 17, 2011
Sustainability tops the syllabus at net-zero energy school in Texas
Texas-based firm Corgan designed the 152,200-sf Lady Bird Johnson Middle School in Irving, Texas, with the goal of creating the largest net-zero educational facility in the nation, and the first in the state. The facility is expected to use 50% less energy than a standard school.
