DESIGN DRIVEN BY CLIMATE FELIPE ALOU BASEBALL ACADEMY IN BOCA CHICA
Location Boca Chica, Dominican Republic Client/Operator The San Francisco Giants Architects jones I haydu One Arkansas Street, suite D2 US - San Francisco, CA 94107 www.joneshaydu.com Design team members J. Hulett Jones, Paul Haydu, Jonathan Bernard, Aaron Cleveland, Aaron Goldman Local architect of record JMF Arquitectos Author jones I haydu Photos Bruce Damonte Official opening June 2017
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The Felipe Alou Baseball Academy designed by jones I haydu consists of three major leaguesize playing fields, batting tunnels, pitching mounds, and two substantial buildings. The athletic building contains the clubhouse, gymnasium, training room, offices, and conference rooms. The residential building serves as a residence hall for coaches and staff and up to 73 players. It features classrooms, a computer laboratory, dining hall, and recreational spaces. The San Francisco Giants have a long history in the Dominican Republic and wished to build a facility for their Latin American players that reflects their commitment to the country, and the players’ importance to their club. The academy serves as the headquarters of the Giants’ Latin American operations and as the educational training and player development home for the team’s international prospects. The academy is divided into two main parts: the athletic portion and the dormitory portion. The typical functional layout of multiple baseball diamonds is a “clover leaf” with home plates being at the center. With two existing fields in place and the new site adjacent, a third field was added to the clover leaf pattern.
Inspiration for the academy master plan was drawn from many places of learning, from colleges to monasteries. The goal was to provide a sense of place for the variety of activities, and, as such, the clover leaf allowed for two distinct “quads” for the buildings, separating the site into residential and athletic. The buildings then layout in a decidedly formal relationship with the diamonds. This formal relationship allows the buildings to have a background presence to the fields, while also allowing direct views and focus from the buildings to the diamonds. The full length of the north façade of the athletic building stretches along all three playing fields. Since the façade faces north, it allows for greater transparency. All rooms inside the sb 2/2019