Christ Presbyterian Academy Athletics and Wellness Facility

With the new 50,000 square foot Athletics and Wellness Center, Christ Presbyterian Academy is embarking on a new chapter for their Athletics Program and the next phase of the transformative campus master plan envisioned and executed in partnership with HASTINGS.  This project represents a major step forward for the health and wellness, practice and play, camaraderie and team for all CPA students. 

The new Athletics Building features a 1,500-seat Gymnasium, state of the art weight room and cardio deck, Locker rooms for men's and women's athletics, an on-site Sports Medicine area, and consolidated Athletic department offices.

Designed to complement the existing campus architecture, the Athletic Building is guided by the concept of "Seen and Unseen," creating a design which leverages diffuse light and moments of display to reflect the values of hard work, dedication, and growth.  This concept is most overtly expressed at the 1,500-seat Arena whose envelope is organized into a series of offset frames.  The offsets allow natural light to slip in between the frames which provides an unexpectedly bright interior environment while protecting the playing courts from glare.  The frames are clad in masonry and metal panels which maintain the continuum of the campus material palette, resulting in a building which advances the campus aesthetic while creating a space that uniquely meets the needs and vision of the Athletics Program.

CPA students, faculty, families and guests are welcomed on game day into a lobby whose east and west walls are fully glazed, which simultaneously highlights the welcoming nature of the community and the picturesque campus beyond.  In addition to concessions, the lobby features the Roar Store which offers the CPA community an opportunity to expand their spirit gear and swag!

The interiors of the new Athletic Facility are intentionally minimal and utilitarian.  The steel and concrete structure are meticulously coordinated with building systems to maintain a clean appearance.  In addition to being durable and cost-effective, this strategy furthers the goal of celebrating what is often concealed.

The threshold between the lobby and the new 1,500-seat arena is the Frame. Echoing the nested frames which make up the massing of the new Athletics Building, this element, with its decorative panels celebrating past school championships, acts as a proscenium for the CPA athletics legacy.

Opposite the Frame across the competition floor is the Lion’s Den, an expanded student section designed to be a hive of student activity with space for student clubs, the pep band and standing room only risers. 

Anchoring the southern portion of the new Athletics Building, with direct connection to sports medicine, is a double story cardio deck and weight room that offers generous training and rehab space for CPA athletes.  This space features a large, glazed wall providing views out across the practice field and stadium.  Critical to the value of elevating the ‘unseen’, this glazed wall provides views back into the building, into some of the most important and intentional student learning and development spaces on campus.

Additional athlete support spaces include 6 sets of team locker rooms providing nearly 300 lockers, 20 showers and smart board enabled team meetings spaces, a consolidated Athletic department with coaches and administration offices, including conference rooms over various size and functions.