MILWAUKEE, Wis.—Earlier this year, a dedication ceremony was held in Milwaukee, Wisc. for the first phase of Marquette University’s new $24 million Athletic and Human Performance Research Center (AHPRC).

The 46,000-square-foot innovative multi-purpose facility is the new permanent home for men’s and women’s lacrosse and men’s golf, and combines training, testing and research all under one roof. It also integrates athletics and research to develop new fitness technologies and advance the use of data analytics to improve performance and include those of athletes with special needs.

The first phase of this project was designed by architecture and design firm Perkins and Will and multidisciplinary design firm HGA Architects. Mortenson Construction is the general contractor on this project.

There was an urgency in that in their six years of existence, the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams have been without permanent locker room space. This new facility has given Marquette a competitive advantage for recruiting, according to Christopher Stolarski, Associate Director of University Communication. Player development and program culture have been enhanced by combining locker, office and training facilities, with key fitness research being conducted onsite.

Additionally, the AHPRC launched a pilot award program designed to facilitate and foster collaborative health- and performance-related research between disciplines. The first four pilot award winners were announced recently. Projects focus on stroke rehabilitation, diabetes, student-athlete injuries and concussion recovery.

“Our team has approached Phase 1 with a focus on refined design, high-caliber building materials, appropriate site use, and preparing the AHPRC for future expansion,” explains Lindsey Peckinpaugh, leader of Perkins and Will’s Sports, Recreation, and Entertainment practice in the Chicago studio.

“We view this as a project that will allow Marquette to serve unmet needs of its athletic program and advance the university’s commitment to research on athletic and human performance,” she adds.

This first completed phase includes space for faculty researchers, locker rooms and support space for lacrosse and golf teams, and strength and conditioning space for the athletic department. It also includes a team film room, and research and bio-assessment labs.

“Our partnership with Perkins and Will and HGA brought to bear a facility that does something truly unique in bringing together under the same roof an elite Division I NCAA athletics program and world-class researchers in human performance, rehabilitation and exercise science,” says Lora Strigens, Marquette’s vice president for planning and facilities management.

“Every step of the way, our design partners took great care to understand the needs of our student athletes, our researchers and how to create synergies between the two,” she adds.

The biggest project challenge so far has been from a design perspective. Peckinpaugh says a significant driver in this project was the need to meet aggressive speed-to-market demands.

“This resulted in phasing the project to deliver new athletic spaces as quickly as possible, which kept the project moving efficiently; minimizing disruption while balancing the needs of the research program and all sport and strength conditioning spaces.”

With the interior design, Stolarski says it was important to “meld” the aesthetics and branding surrounding the building’s athletic and research components.

“Utilizing a refined finish palette allowed both program components to interweave into the overall building design, and complementary branding design elements to contribute to the ‘wow’ factor for both athletics and research,” he explains.

“Phasing also influenced the architectural design as well, as it became critically important to ensure that Phase 1 felt completed, but also allowed for seamless integration with future phases,” adds Russell Wilson, project architect with HGA, who led the exterior design and served as associate architect and structural engineer of record.

“The design team resolved this challenge through the use of strong vertical rhythm and exterior features, such as sunshades and horizontal projections, and by borrowing from the material palettes of other campus buildings,” he says.

Key features of the impressive project include:

• Branded lockers for the players, customized for each sport.
• A customized engagement process that prioritized the input of players, coaches, researchers.
• A tailored approach to this facility which sets it up for easy phasing in the future.
• A team film room where teams and coaches can have larger meetings or review game and practice films.
• Generously daylit strength and conditioning space that coaches call a “game changer.” This space includes a turf area and cardio mezzanine that overlooks the entire space.
• Nutrition options to aid in post-workout recovery.
• Research and bio-assessment labs to analyze athlete fitness and training data, with the goal to improve performance and training methods in both Athletics and other programs.

The AHPRC is part of a long-term master plan that will be built in phases. Perkins and Will, HGA and Marquette are currently discussing what elements may be in the second phase of the facility. Marquette University will also continue to address the needs of its athletic program and be responsive to research growth over time.

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Oconomowoc Area School District (OASD) staff, parents, students, community members, Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA), Oliver Construction and Nicholas & Associates all participated in the festivities. (All three companies working on the project have offices in Wisconsin.)

EUA was chosen to design the new 112,000-square-foot elementary school that will host 675 students and include open classrooms with moveable glass walls, administration spaces and a cafeteria with a social stair and stage area. The design showcases modern learning environments through the use of increased daylighting, an emphasis on collaboration and a substantial flexibility to support current and future learning needs.

“One of the aspects of the project that we are most proud of is the way that the students and staff were able to participate in the design process,” said Bob Morris, senior design architect for EUA. “This started with surveys of the students, and included Q and A sessions with the architects for students at each grade level of the school. A visionary team of staff members was established to work in tandem with the architects to develop a new model for how education would work in the finished school. The final design is a result of several workshops with this dedicated team, and then several additional meetings with all staff members to develop the final details.”

Morris added that the resulting design is a truly student-centered environment, bursting with a mix of varied educational spaces for different educational methodologies. Even the more-traditional large group spaces open directly onto flexible, grade-level learning commons, which Morris said allows students to break out into different areas and grouping based on their educational needs. The design intends to minimize traditional corridor space and create a building that is compact, energy-efficient and heavy on natural light.

The exterior design of Meadow View Elementary, he explained, is designed to fit into the prairie on which it is built. Low horizontal angles embrace the horizon and open up towards views of the surrounding natural environment. The natural stone, brick, wood, metal panel and glass are intended to create a timeless design that is rooted in nature but looks towards the future. The large entrance canopy is another hallmark of the design.

On April 9, the OASD School Board approved the Guaranteed Maximum Price of $27.32 million for the new school. This cost is $1.01 million below the pre-referendum budget, attributable to a competitive bid environment. The project’s completion date is set for August 2019.

Since the start of the facility referendum process in 2016, the OASD has had a solid partnership with the city of Oconomowoc and St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church. In January 2017, the OASD School Board secured a contract to purchase 20.2 acres of land off Brown Street/Hwy P, for the new Meadow View School. This location is approximately 1 mile south of the current school site and directly adjacent to a property owned by St. Matthew’s.

With both locations set within the city of Oconomowoc and directly adjacent to each other, it made sense for OASD, St. Matthew’s and the city to work in partnership to develop the corridor. This partnership will result in a new Meadow View School, new St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church and School, and new city of Oconomowoc Park, all equipped with complete roadways and sidewalks along with city sewer and electric.

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