The College of the Holy Cross: Hart Center Expansion

The College of the Holy Cross

IMAGES COURTESY OF SASAKI

The phased expansion of the Hart Athletic Center at the top of Mount Saint James on the campus of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, was completed in December 2017. Eight distinct implementation phases allowed the college to maintain use of the building throughout construction.

The visible and transparent complex will provide a comprehensive complement of facilities, including strength and conditioning, sport medicine, and practice venues, aimed at improving performance, increasing awareness, and supporting all of the Crusaders’ Division 1 programs.

The college’s primary goal for the project was to elevate facilities for all programs to help recruiting and improve the development opportunities for student athletes.

The new 143,000-square-foot addition includes a 60-foot-high indoor turf practice facility, an auxiliary practice gymnasium, suites for basketball and administration offices, a dynamic strength and conditioning center, various meeting rooms, a new main entrance lobby, and new locker rooms, to ensure that all programs have dedicated team rooms.

The renovations will provide additional offices, a rowing studio, a new sport medicine suite, expanded accommodations for equipment handling, and a new locker room for the women’s ice hockey program, which is also now competing in Division 1.

The design, by Sasaki, completely transforms the original 1975 building, giving it a greater presence on campus and a renewed pride in the storied history of Holy Cross athletics.

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

Featured

  • University of Oklahoma Announces New Campus Master Plan

    The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., recently announced that it will soon launch a new, comprehensive Campus Master Plan to guide the campus’ physical development during the next decade, according to a news release.

  • Surging Demand for Student Housing Fuels Major Campus Investment Opportunities

    University leaders throughout the U.S. are accelerating plans to modernize and expand student housing as enrollment stabilizes and demand for on-campus living rebounds. Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that total postsecondary enrollment is projected to grow through the end of the decade, with undergraduate enrollment alone expected to increase by more than 8 percent by 2030.

  • From Approval to Opening: Inside Travis Unified School District’s Fast Tracked Campus Expansion

    The Travis Unified School District (TUSD) in northern California includes several elementary and high schools serving over 5,400 students. In 2024, the TUSD Board approved the addition of sixth grade to the Golden West Middle School campus for the 2025–26 school year, setting in motion an accelerated effort to bring new facilities online in less than a year.

  • Rhode Island Boarding School Completes Student Dorm Renovations

    St. George’s School in Middletown, R.I., recently announced the completion of a $26-million renovation project on Arden-Diman-Eccles Dormitory, according to a news release. The school partnered with Voith & Mactavish Architects (VMA) on the new space, which places a new focus on collaborative community spaces open to both boarding students and day students.