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Post by coachdmyers on Jun 1, 2018 8:41:59 GMT -6
Hi guys,
I'm on a team of teachers helping design a new high school for our district. It's currently in the really early stages. I was hoping to get some ideas from you all for a few specific areas.
1) Locker room layouts. Anyone have any great layouts for varsity/PE locker rooms that put them close to both the athletic fields, gym adjacent, make supervision easy, that also has great equipment management to let football equipment dry out between practices?
2) Field layouts. Preliminary design calls for a stadium, two soccer/football fields, two baseball fields, two softball fields, and tennis courts. All currently planned to be grass except the stadium. Wondering if anyone has some great layouts that use turf to combine fields in innovative but useful ways.
3) General athletic facilities. We're going to have a large main gym and an equally sized "Field House", plus we need varsity/PE locker rooms that access the gym and fields easily. We will have a weight room, coaches/pe offices, athletic storage, PE storage, aux/cardio room, wrestling room, and training room.
We are in a climate where we have winters with snow on the ground for a few months, if that helps.
Anyway, if anyone's school has just a killer layout for any of these things, I'd love to hear about them.
Thanks!
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Post by newhope on Jun 1, 2018 9:57:57 GMT -6
Don't do like one school that I saw under construction: they built a baseball field with one dugout--directly behind home plate.
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Post by pvogel on Jun 1, 2018 10:20:05 GMT -6
Wow. That sounds like an awesome task. I think you could pretty easily make the locker rooms a building between the gym and the football field. One end of it leads to the gym, one leads to the football stadium. Side door to the other fields. Orient the stadium north/south and put the home stands and press box on the west side of the stadium. Prevents the sun from being in the eyes of spectators and press and what not (and of course you) softball/baseball fields - a lot of people like the design of fitting all 4 back to back in the cloverleaf (fields 3,4,5,6 below) BUT you need to be willing and able to shell out serious $ for netting all the way around. If you have the space it is cheaper and easier to have the fields face each other (1,2,3,4)  |
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Post by coachdmyers on Jun 1, 2018 10:49:12 GMT -6
Wow. That sounds like an awesome task. I think you could pretty easily make the locker rooms a building between the gym and the football field. One end of it leads to the gym, one leads to the football stadium. Side door to the other fields. Orient the stadium north/south and put the home stands and press box on the west side of the stadium. Prevents the sun from being in the eyes of spectators and press and what not (and of course you) softball/baseball fields - a lot of people like the design of fitting all 4 back to back in the cloverleaf (fields 3,4,5,6 below) BUT you need to be willing and able to shell out serious $ for netting all the way around. If you have the space it is cheaper and easier to have the fields face each other (1,2,3,4) Yeah I'm really excited, it's an awesome opportunity. That's what I was thinking about locker rooms, but few schools near us have that arrangement for some reason. Great reminder about field orientation and press box. Definitely hoping to avoid this kind of cloverleaf arrangement. Thank you! |
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Post by bigmoot on Jun 1, 2018 16:42:16 GMT -6
You can never have enough storage. If you think you're good. Add more.
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Post by Down 'n Out on Jun 3, 2018 17:19:56 GMT -6
It seems like new facilities are too spread out. I know building codes restrict a lot of things but IMO the distance keeps facilities from having character,they all seem generic.
bigmoot mentioned storage, our "home" locker room is sandwiched between the visitor locker room and the bathrooms, the main parking lot is in front and a 10' hill is behind. There's almost no where to expand. We also don't have a coaches office (it's in the gym hallway 100 yards from our field house so we dress in the laundry room. We've built a room out of the visitors room for more storage as we'd not have enough.
Personally I always liked field houses behind a end zone vs behind the bleachers.
And put the **** track around a practice field rather than the main field
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Post by pvogel on Jun 4, 2018 8:34:13 GMT -6
And put the **** track around a practice field rather than the main field This x1000. So disappointed in myself that I didn't mention this too. Such a better environment without the track. Puts the stands right on the field. I love it. Thank you |
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Post by Down 'n Out on Jun 4, 2018 9:28:39 GMT -6
With the track fans are just spectators, no involvement and little impact on the game. Some people want it that way but I hate it.
A local high school just built a new stadium and I swear the first row of stands is 30 yards from the sideline. 15 yds of sideline, track, 5yds of concrete walkway, then the stands are 5' off the ground. Its a horrible viewing experience and its ahrd to create a fun environment.
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Post by wingtol on Jun 4, 2018 10:21:13 GMT -6
Orient the stadium north/south and put the home stands and press box on the west side of the stadium. Prevents the sun from being in the eyes of spectators and press and what not (and of course you) This one millions times over. Drives me nuts when fields go east/west especially the first few weeks of the season when the sun is still out during a game. I know you said it was early in the process but make sure you find out building codes and what not before you go crazy with plans. A local school built a brand new facility a few years ago, they only have stands on one side and people always complain. But if they had put in visitor side stands it would have increased capacity which would have made them install something like 25 additional toilets and add 100's of thousands of dollars to the project. Stupid stuff like that can de-rail your best plans real quick. |
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Post by coachdmyers on Jun 4, 2018 11:49:03 GMT -6
Orient the stadium north/south and put the home stands and press box on the west side of the stadium. Prevents the sun from being in the eyes of spectators and press and what not (and of course you) This one millions times over. Drives me nuts when fields go east/west especially the first few weeks of the season when the sun is still out during a game. I know you said it was early in the process but make sure you find out building codes and what not before you go crazy with plans. A local school built a brand new facility a few years ago, they only have stands on one side and people always complain. But if they had put in visitor side stands it would have increased capacity which would have made them install something like 25 additional toilets and add 100's of thousands of dollars to the project. Stupid stuff like that can de-rail your best plans real quick. Good call. I'm guessing the architects will be keeping a check on stuff like this too. One school I was *did* solve the East/West orientation problem by surrounding the stadium with giant pine trees. It cut the wind too. It made it a really cool setting. |
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Post by coachdmyers on Jun 4, 2018 11:52:33 GMT -6
And put the **** track around a practice field rather than the main field This x1000. So disappointed in myself that I didn't mention this too. Such a better environment without the track. Puts the stands right on the field. I love it. Thank you Does anyone have a sense on how the Track program at their school would feel about this? Seems like this would come across as booting them from a desirable facility. Could they host meets still? Small stands on the field with the track? |
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Post by Down 'n Out on Jun 4, 2018 13:28:12 GMT -6
I would say put a small set of stands just for them. Attendance at track meets isint great anyway. Doesn't really make sense to have 50 track fans in a facility that hosts several thousand (minimum). Put it around a practice field and all of the events can be held in one location. I know for us Shot and discus are held on a practice field (not on our turf) while the track events are at the main stadium, makes it hard for fans to keep up with everything and the kids are all over the place going from one event to the next.
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Post by wingtol on Jun 5, 2018 8:53:10 GMT -6
And put the **** track around a practice field rather than the main field This x1000. So disappointed in myself that I didn't mention this too. Such a better environment without the track. Puts the stands right on the field. I love it. Thank you I don't know been some places where you definitely want some distance between the stands and sidelines... |
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Post by vanden48 on Jun 5, 2018 9:49:36 GMT -6
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Post by fantom on Jun 5, 2018 11:34:00 GMT -6
This may be the best solution possible if space is an issue but the OP hasn't said that that is the case. Personally, I'd hate that setup and would hate it even more if it wasn't necessary. |
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Post by pvogel on Jun 5, 2018 12:01:21 GMT -6
This may be the best solution possible if space is an issue but the OP hasn't said that that is the case. Personally, I'd hate that setup and would hate it even more if it wasn't necessary. Agreed. Looks great for where you're at. But if you have space it is unnecessary. We are similar -  But the combined football/baseball field creates odd seating and lighting issues for football (we have no lights... have to bring our portable ones for our night games... it absolutely sucks) and it creates absolutely absurd dimensions for baseball. Our field is nice, and was cheaper regarding the turf cost. But its like 215 down the lf and rf lines. And then right center is no joke like 450 (the furthest fence in MLB is deep center at Minute Maid which is 436). also - note our baseball and softball fields. We can't have games going on at the same time because there is no net. Theres talks about rotating the softball diamond to aim the hitting direction at the baseball field to alleviate that issue but we'll see. |
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Post by fantom on Jun 5, 2018 12:10:38 GMT -6
This may be the best solution possible if space is an issue but the OP hasn't said that that is the case. Personally, I'd hate that setup and would hate it even more if it wasn't necessary. Agreed. Looks great for where you're at. But if you have space it is unnecessary. We are similar - But the combined football/baseball field creates odd seating and lighting issues for football (we have no lights... have to bring our portable ones for our night games... it absolutely sucks) and it creates absolutely absurd dimensions for baseball. Our field is nice, and was cheaper regarding the turf cost. But its like 215 down the lf and rf lines. And then right center is no joke like 450 (the furthest fence in MLB is deep center at Minute Maid which is 436). also - note our baseball and softball fields. We can't have games going on at the same time because there is no net. Theres talks about rotating the softball diamond to aim the hitting direction at the baseball field to alleviate that issue but we'll see. When I was in HS our baseball once played at a field with no fence adjacent to the football field. One of our guys hit a gapper that rolled under the 7 man sled, deep beyond where a fence would have been. There was no ground rule so it ended up being a HR. |
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Post by pvogel on Jun 5, 2018 12:12:45 GMT -6
Agreed. Looks great for where you're at. But if you have space it is unnecessary. We are similar - But the combined football/baseball field creates odd seating and lighting issues for football (we have no lights... have to bring our portable ones for our night games... it absolutely sucks) and it creates absolutely absurd dimensions for baseball. Our field is nice, and was cheaper regarding the turf cost. But its like 215 down the lf and rf lines. And then right center is no joke like 450 (the furthest fence in MLB is deep center at Minute Maid which is 436). also - note our baseball and softball fields. We can't have games going on at the same time because there is no net. Theres talks about rotating the softball diamond to aim the hitting direction at the baseball field to alleviate that issue but we'll see. When I was in HS our baseball once played at a field with no fence adjacent to the football field. One of our guys hit a gapper that rolled under the 7 man sled, deep beyond where a fence would have been. There was no ground rule so it ended up being a HR. Lol! we have to remove our sled and chute and all that (it hangs out off the football field but in that LF area) but if you hit something to that bottom right end zone and don't score then you have some major problems |
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Post by coachdmyers on Jun 5, 2018 14:02:36 GMT -6
We are going to be spoiled for space. This is the exact type of thing I'm going to propose for combining practice baseball, softball, and football fields. We will have dedicated baseball and softball fields as well, and a main stadium. Thank you! |
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Post by coachdmyers on Jun 5, 2018 14:05:42 GMT -6
This may be the best solution possible if space is an issue but the OP hasn't said that that is the case. Personally, I'd hate that setup and would hate it even more if it wasn't necessary. Agreed. Looks great for where you're at. But if you have space it is unnecessary. We are similar - But the combined football/baseball field creates odd seating and lighting issues for football (we have no lights... have to bring our portable ones for our night games... it absolutely sucks) and it creates absolutely absurd dimensions for baseball. Our field is nice, and was cheaper regarding the turf cost. But its like 215 down the lf and rf lines. And then right center is no joke like 450 (the furthest fence in MLB is deep center at Minute Maid which is 436). also - note our baseball and softball fields. We can't have games going on at the same time because there is no net. Theres talks about rotating the softball diamond to aim the hitting direction at the baseball field to alleviate that issue but we'll see. Wow. This is an unreal setup. |
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Post by fantom on Jun 5, 2018 17:39:15 GMT -6
Agreed. Looks great for where you're at. But if you have space it is unnecessary. We are similar - But the combined football/baseball field creates odd seating and lighting issues for football (we have no lights... have to bring our portable ones for our night games... it absolutely sucks) and it creates absolutely absurd dimensions for baseball. Our field is nice, and was cheaper regarding the turf cost. But its like 215 down the lf and rf lines. And then right center is no joke like 450 (the furthest fence in MLB is deep center at Minute Maid which is 436). also - note our baseball and softball fields. We can't have games going on at the same time because there is no net. Theres talks about rotating the softball diamond to aim the hitting direction at the baseball field to alleviate that issue but we'll see. Wow. This is an unreal setup. A lot depends on how big the school will be. It'd better be a pretty small school for those stands to be adequate. |
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Post by wingtol on Jun 5, 2018 18:59:58 GMT -6
Wow. This is an unreal setup. A lot depends on how big the school will be. It'd better be a pretty small school for those stands to be adequate. Bet the softball coach is pissed... |
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Post by fantom on Jun 5, 2018 19:11:43 GMT -6
A lot depends on how big the school will be. It'd better be a pretty small school for those stands to be adequate. Bet the softball coach is pissed... Gotta sit in a tree to watch a game there. |
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Post by pvogel on Jun 6, 2018 5:35:10 GMT -6
Bet the softball coach is pissed... Gotta sit in a tree to watch a game there. More bleachers are moved based on season. Lots of lawn chairs and blankets hangin out on the hills though. For all sports. Didnt mean to hijack the thread. But I do suppose if everyone shares BAD setups then we can start to put together a good one haha Definitely envious of the OP's task at hand and what it sounds like they are doing there. Would love to see design pics. |
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Post by vanden48 on Jun 6, 2018 8:05:53 GMT -6
This may be the best solution possible if space is an issue but the OP hasn't said that that is the case. Personally, I'd hate that setup and would hate it even more if it wasn't necessary. It wasn't that bad. It was a small school and we even got a Jumbotron Scoreboard. The visitors had portable bleachers rolled out. The lighting wasn't a problem and was pretty state of the art. The lights were huge and remotely controlled and had a setting for baseball, softball, and football. The during baseball season and softball season the Goalposts came out and the foul posts came in and a temporary Fence for each outfield was rolled out. The nice part for football was all the space we had to practice on. But I agree, if space isn't an issue, I would rather not have this. Separate fields are best. I just thought this was a very unique way to set the whole thing up. |
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Post by coachdmyers on Jun 6, 2018 8:54:16 GMT -6
Gotta sit in a tree to watch a game there. More bleachers are moved based on season. Lots of lawn chairs and blankets hangin out on the hills though. For all sports. Didnt mean to hijack the thread. But I do suppose if everyone shares BAD setups then we can start to put together a good one haha Definitely envious of the OP's task at hand and what it sounds like they are doing there. Would love to see design pics. If I can figure out how to upload an image, I'd be happy to show the original architect's design proposals that would show the space. It only looks like I can link pics already online unless I'm missing something... |
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Post by Chris Clement on Jun 6, 2018 20:10:35 GMT -6
We have a really great setup similar to Boston college, the hockey and football are back to back so you double up all the facilities, concessions, the football stands are built into the rink's structure, so you could make that work and save a lot of building hassle. You could put baseball and softball with foul lines abutted, and then out the main structure along the two collinear foul lines that would align with the middle of the football field. I wonder if the football field can be offset within the track so that the far set of stands fits between the track and the field? That would cover almost all your sports.
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Post by pvogel on Jul 19, 2018 5:06:26 GMT -6
Not to turn this thread into a crazy facility piece... But we played in a 7on7 at this stadium and I was in awe of the baseball field. Home plate is at the bottom left end zone. Look at the foul poles. Its a legit 405 to LF. RF is tiny. And the warning track... is the actual track. NJ has some crazy stuff.  |
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Post by 3rdandlong on Jul 19, 2018 6:55:34 GMT -6
Not to turn this thread into a crazy facility piece... But we played in a 7on7 at this stadium and I was in awe of the baseball field. Home plate is at the bottom left end zone. Look at the foul poles. Its a legit 405 to LF. RF is tiny. And the warning track... is the actual track. NJ has some crazy stuff. First time I’ve ever seen that. Wow |
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Post by dubber on Jul 19, 2018 7:34:16 GMT -6
Most important thing: Make sure the coaches' office has good ventilation in the bathroom.
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