Working with Design Pros

By Mary Helen Sprecher

Creating an outstanding new athletic facility is one of the most daunting jobs a coach or athletic director will ever tackle. It’s complicated, it’s time-consuming, and it’s easy to make expensive mistakes. That’s why, increasingly, schools and other institutions are turning to design professionals to help them transform ideas into reality.

So, what’s the best approach to use when meeting with an architect, landscape architect or engineer? Good preparation is the key, according to the professionals. Here, several of these pros offer some of their best advice for those ready to embark on a new athletic facility.

Define Your Needs: Find out exactly who will be using the facility, when and for what sports. Talk with them, and take plenty of notes. “How will the facility be used? Just for competitive games, or for everyday practice?” asks Ed Norton of Holcombe Partners in Birmingham, AL. He adds, “Athletic or facility directors should listen to the needs and wishes of all the sports utilizing the facility. For example, football coaches may want to use the space in the D-zones for offensive or defensive drills, while the track coach wants the area for field events. Soccer coaches want the widest field possible, which may restrict space for field events. If space is limited, there will have to be compromises.”

Have a Plan: Jack Kamrath of Tennis Planning Consultants in Houston, TX, says, “In working with educational entities, especially colleges and universities, unquestionably the greatest need we have seen since 1970 is for the facilities director and director of athletics to develop a logical, long-range master plan for each component of their athletic facilities. Time after time, no one at the institution understands the significance of stepping back and taking time to consider the needs of all sports, both men and women, in a single thought process.”

Know Your Numbers: The experts agree that, all too often, prospective clients come to the table without a realistic idea of costs. “Budget, budget, budget,” says Brett Long of Brett T. Long Landscape Architecture in South Lake Tahoe, CA. “Initially, most school superintendents and facilities directors are not aware of the costs of a new sports facility. Many have become interested in upgrading from a cinder track to synthetic or lawn fields to synthetics because of grant money or a donation which typically covers only a portion of these upgrades.”

Consider the Extras: Ed Norton advises his clients to look into all the things that can drive up costs. “Have maintenance costs been factored into the budget?” he asks. “Is new equipment needed? Is more labor required? Where will the equipment be stored? Is the facility to be lighted? Is there a concern with light spill into adjacent properties? What will be the target seating capacity of the grandstands?” All these things, he notes, should be made clear at the outset.

Know Your Land: Many clients know the size and location of the parcel of land for the new athletic facility, but are unaware of how much land the facility will actually take up. The good news, however, is that a design professional with experience in sports facilities can work with the client to suggest options and alternatives.

“Most school sports facilities are multi-use, which requires a designer who has experience and understands the rules and special requirements of multiple sports,” says Brett Long. “Facilities that include football, soccer, track and field and other events can vary greatly in shape and dimension. There’s no single template for multi-use fields, and a knowledgeable designer will work with the client to provide a facility that maximizes the space use at the highest competitive level possible.”

“Once the project starts, standard practice is for the client to provide geotechnical, survey and program information,” says Tony Wood of the Beals Alliance, Inc., Sacramento, CA. “Once a design professional has been contracted, during the programming portion of the project, it is critical that the client provide sufficient time with the project stakeholders to ensure that the project is being designed, and ultimately built, to meet their needs.”

Know You Have Choices: Don’t just flip open the Yellow Pages. Research the professionals who have sports facility–specific experience. “Seek the recommendations of peers with projects similar to yours,” says Tony Wood. “Don’t be afraid to ask them the hard questions. Ask what they liked or disliked about the services they received and the facility they now have. Make sure their goals going into the project match yours. Some clients are focused on price, some on quality, and others on schedule. You want to be sure that whoever you select to work with has goals that are aligned with yours.”

Furthermore, says Wood, be thorough in your questioning. “Ask the design professional for examples of relevant experience and their role in the project. It is a common practice for some designers to include beautiful photos of projects that match the clients’ specific interest. They may have been ‘part’ of a team on the project, but the important question is ‘What part?’ As an example, they may have been responsible for the grading and drainage, while someone else was responsible for the rest of the project.”

Don’t Cheap Out Where It Counts: Sometimes, trying to save a few dollars can hurt more in the long run. Norton cautions, “The track base and pavement are not a place to cut corners. Often a school district will volunteer the local municipality to perform the paving to save money. A quality base and pavement are critical to a successful track. The surface is only as good as what is beneath it. The base and pavement should only be placed by a qualified company that has a strong history in track construction.”

Know Something About the Process: Take the time to become educated in choices about athletic facilities, including new trends in design, surfaces, amenities and accessories. Contact professional associations and get construction guidelines and publications (see “Note” below). An informed consumer makes smarter decisions.

Note: The American Sports Builders Association (ASBA) is a nonprofit association helping designers, builders, owners, operators and users understand quality sports facility construction. The ASBA sponsors informative meetings and publishes newsletters, books and technical construction guidelines for athletic facilities, including running tracks. Available at no charge is a listing of all publications offered by the Association, as well as the ASBA’s Membership Directory. Info: 866-501-ASBA (2722) or www.sportsbuilders.org.