Sasaki recently completed work with Deerfield Academy on a complex athletics and recreation project that involves the addition of an indoor field house, tennis center, crew tank, and the replacement of its ice hockey rink. This 132,000 GSF facility is the latest piece of the existing sports complex, continuing the tradition of linking all venues under one roof.
The existing ice rink lies as the western end of the sports building, bounded by a cemetery to the west, wetlands to the sound, and the main campus road to the north. The new design respects these constraints but gains substantial footprint area by turning the new rink ninety degrees and pushing it as far west as possible. This strategy opens up more useable space in the gap between the west end of the old building and the east side of the new rink. The building’s main venues and recreational spaces are organized around the central lobby.
Sasaki’s design clarifies circulation and wayfinding through this venue-rich complex, while providing state of the art facilities and associated support space for ice hockey and indoor practice of baseball, softball, lacrosse, soccer, track, tennis, crew, and golf.