The Sacred Heart
Academy needed a gymnasium space on their campus that would serve
as a multipurpose space. Besides providing a place for basketball,
it needed to include possible volleyball, physical fitness classes,
school assemblies, and school functions such as dances or charity
events. Our most significant challenge was a requirement to work around
existing boundaries and limitations in order to keep sufficient parking
spaces in addition to retaining as many trees as possible on the site.
Design
Solutions:
With
limited space and constraining environmental concerns, the building
was designed with exposed steel bow trusses in order to create a large,
unobstructed interior space that invoked a nice open-air feeling.
By utilizing acoustical metal decking above the trusses and banners
on the exterior walls we were able to provide sufficient sound control
for the large main open space. Another aspect of the new gymnasium
was the mechanical system that was designed to also heat and cool
spaces in other buildings on-campus that were under renovation. Additionally,
the design also allowed for the future construction of a connector
from the existing school to the new Gymnasium that would provide a
new entry for students.
