Sol Harris Day Architecture

As a growing university, MVNU’s original athletic facilities were small and inadequate for the University’s expanding program requirements. Recognizing the need for a change, MVNU envisioned a state-of-the-art health and wellness facility that would provide multiple uses for the students and community. The new sports facility provides a consolidated home for the Athletic Department and allows a place to showcase their basketball and volleyball programs. In addition to serving as an impressive tournament venue for the University, the recreational facility includes locker rooms, training and physical therapy rooms, faculty offices, a workout facility, and a 225-person banquet room.

Services

  • Master Planning
  • Facility Assessments
  • Space Utilization
  • Site Selection
  • Visioning
  • Estimating/Scheduling
  • Visualizations and Graphics
  • Architecture
  • Interior Design
  • FF&E

The design and construction of the Ariel Athletic Arena has become a ‘centerpiece’ for the MVNU campus, and a key component to enhancing student life and future enrollment.

Denny Taylor, Senior Director of Facilities Operations, MVNU

Building Organization

The public entry into the athletic Arena is from the upper concourse, which provides unique views and public circulation without interruption of sports activities on the competition floor. The Banquet Hall is used campus wide for multiple events of all sizes, with the capability and flexibility to be partitioned into three smaller rooms if needed. The new student workout space and wellness center keeps a steady flow of students in the spaces. This new amenity creates the additional benefit of attracting new students and increasing enrollment to the University.

Highlights

  • Designed new athletic center to provide community and students with fitness and recreational facilities that will seat up to 3,000 for concerts and events and 1,800 for basketball and volleyball games
  • Included space for 3 full-sized athletic courts, horseshoe seating, spacious lobby with arena overlook and banquet hall (seats 225) that bring the facilities to a level comparable with other universities in their conference
  • Incorporates a new 2,700 sf wellness center for general student population and separate weight training facilities for athletes
  • Includes four varsity team locker rooms, new athletic department offices for coaches and their staff and new classrooms/meeting rooms
  • Entrance foyer from campus to rear parking provides large gathering space with natural lighting

Your ability to listen to our dreams, and then translate them into something beautiful that would benefit the school and the city, does not go unnoticed. In each case, you have worked with a diverse group of people from the university, city and community to help us translate our vision into something realistic and achievable.

Scott Peterson, VP of University Relations, MVNU

Meet the Team

  • Matt Sutter
  • Bill Griffith

Awards

  • AIA Akron Design Award - New Construction

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