RDG in the Media: Designing for Evolving Competitive Sports Facilities

As the line between community and collegiate athletic facilities continues to blur, architects are focusing on delivering a better overall experience for spectators and players, whether it’s gameday or not. These new design approaches are being seen in facilities designed for the highest levels of professional competition trickling down to high-school and regional competition complexes. In a recent Recreation Management Magazine article, RDG Architect and Partner Blaine Perau, AIA, alongside other sports industry architects, discusses how design for competitive sports venues delivers an exciting and engaging experience.

Perau notes that in many new designs, the emphasis has shifted from “bigger is better” to “better is better.” Recent projects have focused on the reduction of the quantity of seats in favor of increasing the quality of experience, Perau notes, sharing that “competition venues want to be full, exciting and engaging.” It’s also important that new designs provide for a spectator experience that can continue even when fans are out of their seats, offering solutions such as technology on the concourse and in the restrooms to keep spectators connected with the game throughout the facility.

Dark, theatrical spaces, Perau explains, are not necessarily as desirable as they once were, with a focus on bringing controlled natural light into facilities whenever possible. This can be seen with the design of the Waukee Community School District Natatorium, which incorporates a level of natural light not typically found in a competition facility.

Click here to read the full Recreation Management Magazine article discussing how architects are designing athletic complexes for game day and beyond.