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

  • Texas State University Completes Stadium Renovations

    Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, recently announced that it has completed a series of additions and renovations to its football stadium, according to a news release. Formerly known as the Bobcat Stadium End Zone Complex, the Johnny and Nathali Weisman Football Performance Center is an 85,000-square-foot expansion featuring hospitality spaces, banquet spaces, exterior concourses, and upgrades to the field house.

  • University of Arizona Approves New Residence Hall

    The Arizona Board of Regents recently approved plans for a new residence hall at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., according to a news release. The new facility is scheduled to open in fall 2028 and have the capacity for more than 1,200 students, enforcing a new university expectation that all first-year students live on campus.

  • University of Rhode Island, Gilbane Partner for Three New Residence Halls

    The University of Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I., recently announced a public-private partnership with construction development firm Gilbane, according to a news release. Gilbane will soon start construction on three new residence halls with a total of 1,100 beds: two with apartment-style suites in northwest campus, and a reconstruction of the Graduate Village Apartments for graduate students.

  • Countway Library at Harvard Medical School

    From Shadows to Sanctuary: The Transformation of Light at Countway Library

    The renovation of Countway Library at Harvard Medical School demonstrates how biophilic design and advanced lighting strategies transformed a formerly dark, insular space into a vibrant, welcoming hub that supports wellness, learning, and community engagement.