Project Description
“when you build a thing you cannot merely build that thing in isolation, but must also repair the world around it, and within it, so that the larger world at that one place becomes more coherent, and more whole…” – Christopher Alexander
The Alaska Airlines Center is a model of public/private partnership integrating campus planning with district wide concerns. Site planning addressed a myriad of issues including intersection safety, hospital access, pedestrian safety and future road extensions. The Center is both pathway and stepping stone, connecting campus to student housing.
Focused on creating great spectator experiences, the court is recessed into the earth rising 3 levels above the main floor. The vertical seating layout creates an intense and intimate setting, rare in a venue of only 5,000 seats. Entry sequences are choreographed to minimize vertical movements and gradually reveal internal spaces.
Inspired by traditional fieldhouses and Alaska’s magnificent landscape the structure integrates site and athletic planning in an iconic form at the edge of campus. It welcomes and encourages students to pass through and connects them to the exciting activities within. View into and out of the facility connect users to the landscape and the community to the Center. The branding strategy, The Echo of the Seawolf, creates a visual language for multiple events and use modes. Designed as a 100+ year building, exterior materials of zinc, terracotta and anodized aluminum will age gracefully as the legacy of this community facility evolves.