THE FIELDHOUSE LINK

115 W 11TH ST, LAWRENCE, KS Outdoor Basketball Court Enclosure Fall 2022

The premise of this project was to explore the applications and construction of long-span steel structures. Located in the heart of Lawrence at the intersection of 11th Street and Massachusetts Street, this site has great value to the community and to the University of Kansas. Currently the site is occupied by a historic community center, constructed in 1940 as an armory. It now serves the city with and indoor basketball court, weight room, and gathering spaces.

This building is beginning to fall behind as its surroundings get modernized, and one way to bring it into the current age is to bring new life to the site. Next to the community building sits a large asphalt parking lot. For this project I propose a long, snaking steel structures which brings with it three new outdoor basketball courts and covered gathering spaces. The building also snakes into South Park, introducing pedestrian traffic into the underutilized southern part of downtown.

Typical path, avoids southern areas

Natural Pedestrian Path

New path incorporates southern areas