Kings Park High School Comfort Station

H2M architects + engineers

Project of Distinction 2018 Education Design Showcase

Kings Park High School Comfort Station

Project Information

Facility Use: High School
Project Type: Renovation
Category: Athletic Facilities
Location: Kings Park, KY
District/Inst.: Kings Park Central School District
Chief Administrator: Dr. Timothy T. Eagen
Completion Date: December 2018
Gross Area: 900 sq. ft. (project area)
Area Per Student: N/A
Site Size: 42.8 acres
Current Enrollment: N/A
Capacity: N/A
Cost per Student: N/A
Cost per Sq. Ft.: $923.33
Total Cost: $831,000

The Comfort Station at the Kings Park High School is a 1,000-square-foot ground-up new construction project that is replacing the district’s existing concrete masonry unit (CMU) concession stand. Prior to construction, the existing concession stand looked misplaced in the new athletic fields and had started to show its age through its many years of service.

Kings Park High School Comfort StationThe program for the new building includes a more spacious concession area for students and booster clubs to vend pre-packaged and pre-cooked food as well as bottled drinks. It also includes separate restroom facilities for both men and women. Conveniently located near the new multi-purpose sports field, the Comfort Station will reduce the distance that athletes, visitors, and spectators travel to use the facilities by more than half. A storage component for field maintenance equipment was also incorporated into the Comfort Station at the district’s request. As part of the overall renovations to the athletic complex at the High School, the district constructed a new multi-purpose turf field and an eight-lane track; the storage component was sized to house the necessary maintenance equipment for the new field, lighting controls for the sports lighting, and the irrigation controls for the remaining surrounding natural grass fields.

Kings Park High School Comfort StationSince the Comfort Station is one of the last features of the athletic complex renovations to be constructed, the intent was for the building to tie the various parts of the complex together by its location near the center and visible from most of the complex. The Comfort Station can better serve multiple sporting events throughout the various seasons in addition to increasing convenience for community members during school-sponsored communal gatherings such as Homecoming, Relay for Life, Kings Park Day, and other events throughout the year. To aid in the visibility of the building, the design incorporates a portion that rises above the two lower service sections to create a beacon and display area visible from a major nearby thruway. This billboard-type feature draws the attention of the community as they make their way past the High School and helps to highlight events as they are occurring at the site. The concession area in the Comfort Station will be further utilized by the athletic booster clubs during games to raise money for the sports programs. The new design incorporates more space for concessions so that the volunteers can more freely move around with dedicated counterspace for arranging and preparing goods, and a storage area for items and single-use tableware. This is a drastic improvement from the existing CMU concession stand that was cramped with equipment and had no storage for the necessities of the users.

Kings Park High School Comfort StationThrough collaborative meetings with the district, the architect was able to establish the program and functions of each space that was necessary for a successful project. Being a forward-thinking and progressive district, there was interest expressed in exploring a more contemporary design for the Comfort Station. This allowed the architect to explore newer products and design the concession area program with a checkered pattern of the district’s colors. The architects worked with Nichiha USA, Inc. (Nichiha) to meet energy code requirements while still maintaining the progressive aesthetics of the building. The Nichiha fiber cement wall panel system allows for an easy installation and the illumination line offers unlimited custom colors as a base feature. The versatility of the standard Nichiha panels allowed the architect to use an imitation wood panel for the service areas that fall to the background to let the concession function stand out, which further enforces this part of the Comfort Station as a focal and gathering point of the athletic complex and the community as a whole.

Judges Comments

Significant improvement over what was originally there. Increased space for concessions, addition of the storage area, and separation of restroom facilities are important components.

Architect(s):

H2M architects + engineers
SAVERIO J. BELFIORE, AIA
631/756-8000

Featured

  • KI Launches K–12 Classroom Furniture Giveaway

    Contract furniture company KI recently announced the launch of its fourth-annual Classroom Furniture Giveaway, which awards $50,000 each to four K–12 educators across the U.S., according to a news release. The goal is to address decreasing student engagement and increasing teacher burnout numbers by updating learning spaces to accommodate modern needs.

  • Longwood University Selects Builder for $73M Performing Arts Center

    Longwood University in Farmville, Va., recently announced that it has selected Swedish construction company Skanska as the builder of its new performing arts center, according to online news. The project involves the demolition of the current building and constructing a new, 64,500-square-foot facility.

  • Elevating Campus Maintenance: How Power Wash Drones are Transforming Educational Facilities

    As today’s campuses grow larger and more architecturally complex, keeping exteriors clean, safe, and inviting has never been tougher. Facilities leaders are under constant pressure to stretch budgets, meet safety standards, and support sustainability goals—all while tackling the stubborn challenge of exterior cleaning.

  • Construction Begins on East Austin CTE-Focused High School

    The Del Valle Independent School District recently announced that construction has begun on a new CTE-focused high school in Austin, Texas, according to a news release. Del Valle High School will measure in at 473,338 square feet and have the capacity for 2,400 students.