Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Stonehill College: Sally Blair Ames Sports Complex

  • 03/01/17

Stonehill College: Sally Blair Ames Sports Complex

Stonehill College in North Easton, MA, engaged Sasaki to renovate and expand their current Sally Blair Ames Sports Complex to accommodate much-needed recreational and athletic space. Opened in 1988 and designed to serve 1,930 students, the Ames Sports Complex now serves more than 2,500 students. In addition, student engagement in recreation, wellness programs, and club and intramural sports has skyrocketed since the late 1980s, resulting in a significant need to enhance and expand the facility. The design team began with a comprehensive program analysis, visioning an exercise and precinct plan to ensure this major capital project met not only the college’s immediate functional needs but also exceeded their big-picture aspirations for recreation and athletics on campus. Named in honor of the college’s former president, the new 50,000-squarefoot Rev. Mark T. Cregan, C.S.C. Athletics and Fitness Center houses weight and fitness rooms for students, community members and varsity student-athletes; group exercise rooms, dance rooms and multipurpose spaces; student lounge and study space; locker rooms for 12 teams as well as visiting intercollegiate athletic teams; enhanced space for athletic training and equipment; and program offices for recreational sports and athletics.

The design transforms the existing complex through the removal of the existing entry (the existing lobby was converted into a sprung-floor dance studio) and the creation of a new two-story entry pavilion. Underutilized squash courts were divided into two levels and converted into group fitness rooms, a film room and event spaces on the first and recreation and athletics offices on the second.

The organization of new program elements enables recreation and athletics to each have independent, specialized spaces within the facility while preserving the critical interconnectedness of these two programs. The building frames adjacent playing fields, providing views from these spaces out to the athletic and recreational activities beyond.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.

  • Wisconsin District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The School District of La Crosse in La Crosse, Wis., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff of two existing schools, according to local news. Funding for the school comes from a $53-million referendum approved in 2024.