Location: Chicago, USA.

Architect: Perkins+Will.

By transferring several of its practice and academic support facilities from their previous distant location to the northern end of its campus, Northwestern University hoped to integrate its student-athletes into the university community better. The 40,000 sqm athletic centre adds space to the university’s current building to fulfil recreation demands while providing training and indoor practice areas for the athletic department.

The objective was to maximise transparency and reinforce these connections while energising the student-athlete experience given the site’s advantages, including its proximity to Lake Michigan and visual references to both the University’s main campus and the Chicago skyline.

The fieldhouse dome complies with local zoning standards for height, measured to the mean of the peak and the perimeter, while maximising the inside capacity for the crucial sport clearances. The roof is supported by built-up steel plate arches that span 80 metres, from which tension rods hang a 120-meter-long, 13-meter-tall curtain wall. This unique façade lets in natural light from the north and offers mullion-free panoramic views of the lake and nearby beach.

Lead Architect: Ralph Johnson.