Exercises in Athletic Facility Planning

Ben Stindt, AIA, is an associate principal at HOK Sport + Venue + Event. In 1995, Stindt joined HOK and his first project was the Baltimore Ravens’ NFL Stadium. He also worked on Minute Maid Park and Heinz Field, which was one of his favorite projects. Then he began working on collegiate athletic projects. Stindt is responsible for sports facility design from schematic design through the construction documentation phase. Currently, he is working with Virginia Tech on the improvements to Lane Stadium, to be completed in the fall. The design concept of the stadium was to create a visual identity for Lane Stadium in Blacksburg and harmonize with the surrounding campus buildings. Architectural detailing is derived from the old Gothic styles that are very prevalent around campus. The exterior is articulated with “Hokie Stone,” which is a limestone mined from a quarry near campus and utilized on the surrounding campus buildings.

Q: What are the design challenges faced when planning a large-occupancy stadium versus an arena or event center?

A: An arena and event center are similar. A full-blown stadium that seats anywhere from 65,000 to 100,000 is more of a major planning exercise. You have to consider traffic and step out of the bounds of the city or campus itself and see how traffic will affect it. An arena or event center is another building in the urban fabric. Hopefully, the master plan will incorporate some of that. A stadium is not incorporated in the master plan, for the most part. Before the ’70s, a stadium was just considered an open-air structure; it wasn’t considered architecture. Now, the NFL model incorporates suites and clubs and the collegiate stadiums are following that example. They have services and restaurants, and are opened up to other activities like concerts. I’d say master planning is the biggest challenge.

Q: What do colleges and universities need to consider as they approach a master plan study for their athletic facilities?

A: A lot of times we walk into client meetings and have to educate them about why a master plan is important. They don’t understand how the trickle-down effect works with the rest of the campus. They don’t take into consideration traffic patterns, movement of people and emergency access. It’s always a challenge to convince them. They have to understand current needs and how to build in flexibility for the future. If you don’t allow for flexibility, a lot of campuses find themselves in trouble. We like to start with a clean palette and tell them, "Here’s your campus, here’s your expansion to this point, and here are the possible areas for future expansion." We try to show them how to tie everything together. A lot of schools have athletic campuses built in the university grounds as a whole. They are almost viable communities in themselves. In the early days, when the campuses were thought out, there were planners who considered these things, but the growth of the campuses, the popularity of campus life and the numbers of students have gone beyond what anybody ever imagined.

A lot of these campus and college towns are also great places to live and the communities grow. From Virginia to San Diego there are wonderful, active communities that spring up around college campuses.

Q: Are more colleges looking to renovate and expand stadiums rather than build new?

A: I think so. One thing you have with collegiate projects is a tradition and history that are established. That’s one of the things the fans and alumni cherish. They want to be a part of that and love the idea that the stadium can expand and grow, but they always want something to tie into the past. We really see that as a big part. Now, there are definitely stadiums that have to be demolished, or portions have to be demolished, because the stadium has outlived its usefulness. Anytime we can save a significant part of a stadium, that’s a big plus. There are some colleges that are building new stadiums. It’s a very expensive process and the stadiums are being built at a much smaller capacity than the old stadiums.

Q: Are you seeing any trends in intercollegiate stadium and arena design?

A: There is always the ebb and flow regarding materials. Right now steel is extremely costly and we are seeing a return back to the traditional stadiums of the 1960s and ’70s where we used a lot of concrete. Along with the concrete we are also using stone, brick and masonry materials. We are also seeing the use of materials that tie the structure in with the rest of the campus. I’m not saying everything needs to be traditional. There are definitely contemporary versions of campuses using similar materials. We are using modern and very beautiful architecture and materials.

Q: What are some similarities you’ve noticed in the design of an intercollegiate facility versus a professional facility?

A: As I mentioned earlier, a lot of the trends follow the NFL. They were the first to understand the marketability of special club seating or suites. Everything from corporate suites to private suites. We are getting a lot of restaurants and gift shops. Those were all started with the NFL, the comforts and fan amenities. We are seeing sponsorship and naming rights. We are conscious of that and actually build in the possibility of incorporating naming rights.

Q: Would there be any advantages to shared facilities?

A: There are a lot of situations, in urban settings, where the NFL and colleges can use the facility. Instead of using it 11 times a year, they can double up and get more use out of it. We are putting a man-made field in the stadiums, which gives more durability. The new turfs are not the old artificial kinds. The new stuff is more like actual grass. It’s been hugely successful and everyone we work with is considering it.

Q: How do you go about selecting the optimal sports turf – synthetic or natural?

A: Obviously, whatever has been successful in the past is considered. A lot of times people want the turf to represent similarities in the field, such as drainage and moisture, if you’re in a humid area of the country. It’s amazing how realistic it is. It’s a relatively new product so we can only go by experience. There are a lot of great products out there now.

Q: What types of general seating are you specifying? What types of luxury seating?

A: I think one of the latest trends is club seating and a variety of club seating. You might have pricier club seating with more amenities and others may just be an upgrade to a wider seat. The standard is now 33 inches of legroom and that allows a lot of people to pass in front of you without you having to stand up. A little bit of legroom and width in the chair is a huge upgrade that people are willing to pay for.

Q: How do you gauge the number of seats needed to generate money and still remain profitable?

A: We use what we call market study. There are people who specialize in market studies. They will go out to a 150- or 200-mile radius and assess the population and income of an area. They take all of these facts and the popularity of the sport into consideration. What are similar campuses and trends? That helps the administrators understand that they may need more club seats than suites. They can find out what amenities the population will support. These studies help the athletic department to narrow the scope of its project. The demographics help make the direction clear. It’s a significant cost, but every time they do it, it saves money in the long run. We encourage market studies.

Q: Are you finding many collegiate facilities in need of wider pathways or better-managed circulation under ADA compliance codes?

A: That’s always one of the first things we look at. And the cost. All of the old stadiums were designed without ADA seating. Over the years people have found little niches to stick accessible seating, but it’s a major part of our job to implement ADA seating and the circulation around it. It’s a big task. Ramps and elevators are expensive, but they are essential to make ADA work.

Q: Are colleges and universities looking to multi-use their facilities, in a cost-cutting measure? Perhaps because land prices might be at a premium or land might be in short supply?

A: There was a time when a lot of stadiums were baseball first and then the NFL came along and dropped a football field in there. Then they were trying to design stadiums for both sports. The biggest problem was sightlines.

One thing they try to do now is to combine sports that are similar, like soccer and football and lacrosse. A lot of stadiums still have the ability to be used for baseball, football, soccer and track. We went from multi-use to specialized stadiums and now we are seeing where people are trying to double up again. The turf system helps. If you have a durable turf, more sports can use the facility.

Q: What types of security measures are now being designed into stadiums, arenas and event centers?

A: Since 9/11 that’s been a huge consideration. The big thing is trying to design stadiums with a street front that doesn’t look like a barricade. We are incorporating landscape elements. We also are using observation areas. We are seeing cameras set up throughout the stadiums. A lot of our NFL stadiums have holding cells and I think we will begin seeing that in collegiate projects as well, for the safety of people who have had a little too much to drink and need a safe place. Security is always changing; we will see a lot more monitors and electronic surveillance.

Q: When colleges and universities look to campus growth, are the athletic facilities included?

A: Yes. A lot of people are learning that a strong athletic program brings in students. It’s part of the attraction of going to a university. They understand that if they spend a little money on the stadium, it will benefit the rest of the campus. We are finding that a lot of athletic directors are making amends to the rest of the campus by incorporating classrooms, museums and office space that the rest of the campus can benefit from.