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WILSON PARK SPORTS CENTER
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA
The Sports Center is anchored to the surrounding park and sports fields with a large entry plaza used for ceremonial events and large-scale outdoor celebrations. The 23,000 square foot facility is comprised of a gymnasium, multi-purpose room, meeting room, staff office, Farmer’s Market office, restrooms, and storage facilities.
The building derives its form as a transitional element defining the entry to Wilson Park. The angular placement of entry, offices and multi-purpose room are placed not only to reinforce entry to the park, but also to create ease of entry to the building as well as provide visual control within as well as outside.
The blue metal roofs were an implied connection to the nearby coast. They act as “sails” providing light into the lobby and as clerestories diffusing light into the gymnasium. The tower element further accentuates these roof lines and creates a beacon across the park.
Concrete masonry block construction was selected for its durability and low maintenance. Its mass provides a passive means of controlling heat gain or loss. Two colors of sandblasted cmu were used in the structure. Field block was typically 8 x 8 x16 inches or 12 x 8 x 16 inches with contrasting colored 8-inch lintel block, two inches less in depth than the adjacent wall surface to create a reveal. Tooled joints separate the color changes and a cap block was used to create a sloped termination for the projected concrete masonry block surfaces.
Energy efficiency and sustainability were hallmarks in the design goals for the Sports Center. All primary spaces are naturally lighted with no artificial lighting required during daylight hours. This is accomplished with the extensive use of glass block and four rows of high clerestory windows incorporated into the gymnasium ceiling. The balanced direction of lighting precludes glare. The glass block with its reflective coating, low heat transmission, and high insulation value provides the optimum of light with low heat gain.
Complimenting this lighting system is the use of a natural system of ventilation. The building is oriented to capture the prevailing westerly breezes, which are introduced into and through the building with a system of active louvers, which can be opened or closed and combined with the exhaust ventilation to control the amount of moving air circulating through the building. No auxiliary air cooling is required in the gymnasium, and even on 100+ degree “Santa Ana” days, the temperature in the facility will be in the low 80’s.
ARCHITECT:
John Bates Associates, Inc.
22952
Mill Creek Drive
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
John
T. Bates, AIA
Principal
Art
Velasco
Project Manager
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER:
Bole
& Wilson
Engineers
OWNER:
City of Torrance
