HKS design opens in Maryland, US

The Naval Academy, Maryland's Midshipmen, faculty, staff and the design and construction team have celebrated the opening of the Wesley Brown Field House. The HKS-designed field house, used to support the physical development of the Brigade of Midshipmen and act as the competition and practice venue for indoor intercollegiate athletic events, is located on the banks of the Severn River overlooking the Chesapeake Bay.

Naval Facilities Engineering Command Washington selected Hensel Phelps Construction Company to lead the design-build team. HKS, Inc. and Shalom Baranes Associates, Architect served as sport facility design architect and exterior design architect, respectively.

The field house is named after Lt. Cmdr. Wesley Brown, USN (ret.), the first African American Midshipman to graduate from the United States Naval Academy.

During his remarks at the opening event, Brown issued a call to service. "I want you to help us in our efforts to recruit fine young men and women," he said. "We need the volunteers to carry out our foreign policy."

The Wesley Brown Field House is a 140,000 sq ft multi-function athletic facility provides state-of-the-art facilities for athletic competition – creating a showcase for televised Naval Academy-hosted athletic events.

The structure houses world-class facilities for men’s and women’s track and field programs, the women’s volleyball team and an indoor practice facility for the basketball and football teams. It boasts a unique combination of a composite surface track with hydraulically controlled banked curves and a 76,000 sq ft retractable Magic Carpet Astroturf system.

“The 200-meter track oval has hydraulically raised, banked turns that can be lowered for field events,” said Steve Terrill, AIA, senior designer for HKS, Inc. “For football and lacrosse practice, a full-sized turf carpet is mechanically rolled out over the track surface.”

The field house also includes a 6,000 sq ft weight training room and sports performance clinic as well as locker rooms and coaches’ offices.

“The Wesley Brown Field House is one of the most technologically unique indoor field houses in the country,” said Terrill. “The new facility will provide the Naval Academy with the type of training facility necessary to recruit the finest athletes and officer candidates.”
source : www.worldarchitecturenews.com
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