In Flagstaff, Ariz. Northern Arizona University (NAU) has opened its new Student-Athlete High Performance Center.
Designed by DLR Group and built by CORE Construction, the $46 million, 72,000-square-foot training center significantly increases the academic, weight training, recovery, and nutrition space available to Lumberjack student athletes. The facility sits on a hillside with views of Humphreys Peak, the highest point in Arizona.
To enter the building, visitors cross a 140-foot walking bridge that begins at the base of the tree line and elevates 20 feet before reaching the entry. This design choice allowed DLR Group to leave the site as untouched as possible.
“The iconic Parsons Family Auditorium undeniably features one of the best views of any training facility in the country, sitting above the tree line with a 60’ by 40’ glass wall that frames unobstructed views of the 12,600-foot Humphreys Peak and the San Francisco Range,” Andrew Kelly, sports design leader, DLR Group, said in a statement.
Other features include the country’s largest high-altitude training chamber on a college campus. It can simulate atmospheric conditions ranging from sea level to 12,000 feet, allowing student athletes to train at higher elevations and recover faster at sea level.
The Scott and Franci Free Academic Center—which increases dedicated academic space from 700 square feet to more than 7,000 square feet—offers individual study areas, three classrooms, a computer lab, and academic staff offices.
The Jennifer Marie Wilson Strength and Conditioning Center more than doubles the size of the Lumberjacks’ weight training area to 11,500 square feet. And the Michael E. Nesbitt Athletic Training Center features three hydrotherapy recovery pools.
In addition, NAU athletics programs are partnering with the University’s College of Health and Human Services to conduct research on student athletes in the Sims-Treharne Collaborative Research Lab.
On the team:
Owner and/or developer: Northern Arizona University
Design architect and architect of record: DLR Group
MEP and structural engineers: DLR Group
Civil engineer: Shephard-Wesnitzer, Inc.
Landscape architect: Norris Design
General contractor/construction manager: CORE Construction
![NAU training center int](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Northern%20Arizona%20University%20opens%20Student-Athlete%20High%20Performance%20Center%2030_19131_00_N39.jpg)
![NAU training facility field](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Northern%20Arizona%20University%20training%20facility%20field%20Penter%2030_19131_00_N73.jpg)
![NAU training facility int 2](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Northern%20Arizona%20University%20opens%20Student-Athlete%20High%20Performance%20Center%2030_19131_00_N88.jpg)
Related Stories
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Contractors [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Turner, Whiting-Turner, Skanska top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest contractors in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Engineering firms look to bolster growth through new services, technology [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Following solid revenue growth in 2013, the majority of U.S.-based engineering and engineering/architecture firms expect more of the same this year, according to BD+C’s 2014 Giants 300 report.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Engineering/Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Jacobs, AECOM, Parsons Brinckerhoff top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest engineering/architecture firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Engineering Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Fluor, Arup, Day & Zimmermann top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest engineering firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Gensler, Perkins+Will, NBBJ top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest architecture firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
2014 Giants 300 Report
Building Design+Construction magazine's annual ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.
| Jul 17, 2014
A new, vibrant waterfront for the capital
Plans to improve Washington D.C.'s Potomac River waterfront by Maine Ave. have been discussed for years. Finally, The Wharf has started its first phase of construction.
| Jul 8, 2014
Does Zaha Hadid’s Tokyo Olympic Stadium have a design flaw?
After being criticized for the cost and size of her stadium design for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, a Japanese architect points out a major design flaw in the stadium that may endanger the spectators.
| Jul 8, 2014
Frank Lloyd Wright's posthumous gas station opens in Buffalo
Eighty-seven years after Frank Lloyd Wright designed an ornamental gas station for the city of Buffalo, the structure has been built and opened to the public—inside an auto museum.
| Jul 7, 2014
7 emerging design trends in brick buildings
From wild architectural shapes to unique color blends and pattern arrangements, these projects demonstrate the design possibilities of brick.