Central Davis Junior Gym, Layton, Utah

With its basketball-shaped façade, there’s no mistaking this facility for anything other than a gymnasium. Project requirements dictated the facility be built quickly and economically, so Herm Hughes & Sons Inc., utilized the tilt-up construction method. Owners were game to the unusual detailing because precast construction made the process practical-from a time and price perspective.

The façade sports six individual, concrete basketball ball wall panels created by transferring original architectural drawings to a computer-guided router system.

To enhance the ball detail, the cut lines were made at various depths and radii. And, while the entire tilt-up gymnasium structure was lightly sandblasted, the pecan-colored basketballs received a medium sandblast, exposing the aggregate and creating a texture that mimics a real basketball’s pigskin fabric.

A collaborative project between Layton City and the Davis School District, the $3.2 million, 34,875-square-foot Central Davis Junior Gym is situated on the district’s junior high campus and used by students during the day. In the evening and on weekends the facility is open for community recreation programs.