Marquette University: Athletic and Human Performance Research Center

Marquette University

PHOTOS © JKELLER FOTOS

The 46,000-square-foot, light-filled Athletic and Human Performance Research Center (AHPRC) at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI, is the first phase of an innovative multipurpose facility that combines training, testing, and research in one facility.

Among the key university goals was to provide the first permanent locker room space for the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams since they were established six years ago. The facility also includes support and training rooms for lacrosse and golf teams, and branded lockers for each sport. The AHPRC gives Marquette a competitive advantage for recruiting: player development and program culture are enhanced by combining locker, office, and training facilities, with key fitness research being conducted onsite. It also includes a team film room, and research and bio-assessment labs. The daylit strength and conditioning space includes a turf area and cardio mezzanine that overlooks the entire space—together what coaches call a “game changer.”

The exterior of the AHPRC features a series of panels comprised of brick and metal, interspersed with vertical windows, all sitting on a granite base. This material palette complements adjacent university buildings, and emphasizes Marquette’s commitment to quality building materials. An especially notable feature of the facility is the two-story glass wall on the north end: this façade provides high visibility to the strength and conditioning space, and showcases the building’s interdisciplinary research initiative.

Project partners collaborating with Perkins+Will are HGA, who led the exterior design and served as associate architect and structural engineer of record; Ellenzweig as associate architect; GRAEF as civil engineers; Oslund and Associates as landscape architecture; and Ring & DuChateau as mechanical, electrical, plumbing engineers.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management June 2019 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Pitzer College

    Designing for Change in Higher Ed Learning Environments

    Higher education will continue to evolve, and learning environments must evolve with it. By prioritizing adaptable infrastructure, thoughtful reuse, strong energy performance, and wellness-centered design, campuses can create spaces that support learning today while remaining flexible for the future.

  • Illinois District Boosts Security at High-School Stadium

    Richmond-Burton Community High School in Richmond, Ill., recently announced that it has completed the redesigned entrance to its high school stadium with a new focus on school security and community engagement, according to a news release. The district partnered with Wold Architects and Engineers on the project as part of District #157’s year-long facilities master plan.

  • Miami University Approves New $242M Multipurpose Arena

    Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, recently announced that its Board of Trustees has approved construction of a new multipurpose arena at Cook Field, according to university news. The $242-million project will serve as a new centralized hub for student life and create space for economic development on campus.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Education Design Showcase Awards

    Spaces4Learning has opened submissions for the 2026 Education Design Showcase! The awards program launched in 1999 with the goal of celebrating innovative, practical solutions in the planning, design, and construction of K–12 and higher-education facilities. EDS recognizes new developments that help achieve optimal learning environments, as well as the architecture firms that brought the ideas to life.