Period
2024
Florida Southern College: Adams Athletic Performance Center
Location
Lakeland, Florida
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Adam‘s Athletic Performance Center at Florida Southern College is a refined, geometric addition to the campus, designed to hold facilities for student–athletes and coaches. This new building integrates seamlessly with the Frank Lloyd Wright–designed campus and Robert A.M. Stern’s contextually designed buildings. Completed in Summer 2024, the Adams Center features strength rooms, coaches’ suites, a conference room, a film room, locker rooms, and a cold plunge therapy room, all designed to support the athletic department at Florida Southern College.
Javier Garcia Photography
Javier Garcia Photography
Javier Garcia Photography
Javier Garcia Photography
Javier Garcia Photography
Javier Garcia Photography
DESIGN
The college sought a minimal, elegant design that spoke to the Frank Lloyd Wright and Robert A.M. Stern–designed buildings on campus. The Athletic Center is essentially two squares stacked and turned, creating interesting corners on the exterior and dynamic spaces on the interior with sweeping views across Lake Hollingsworth and campus. The bilateral symmetry contributes to the aesthetic simplicity and design principles of the Frank Lloyd Wright designed campus.
Javier Garcia Photography
REALIZATION
Construction began with significant sitework, as the building is located on a hillside with two stories above grade on the north side and three stories above grade on the south side. The Adams Athletic Center is composed of an exterior stucco system, intended to recall the color and texture palette of the Frank Lloyd Wright and Robert A. M. Stern buildings elsewhere on campus. With a high-water table and concerns over water infiltration, comprehensive waterproofing systems were installed before the foundations were laid.
Next, MCWB placed internal piers to provide structural support and integrate building systems. The Adams Athletic Center is composed of an exterior stucco system, mimicking the aesthetics of the Frank Lloyd Wright campus constructed with textile blocks. MCWB installed large storefront and clerestory windows to take advantage of the views of Lake Hollingsworth, and horizontal louvers to control sun infiltration at the third-floor office suites. Internal spaces were designed modestly to pursue refined simplicity while allowing for architecturally intriguing moments.
Javier Garcia Photography
