2013 BOY Winner: School Facility (Firm 151 and ZGF Architects)

Just build it, they said. A gift from Nike founder Philip Knight and his wife, Penny, has taken physical form as a true sports superlative. ZGF design partner Gene Sandoval, building architect, and Firm 151 principal Randy Stegmeier, interior designer, conceived the 145,000-square-foot structure, in part, as a way to entice rising high-school football stars to sign up for the Oregon Ducks. The black glass of the facade, with its 40-foot cantilevers, serves as armor against the sun while representing the team’s reputation for stealth. Inside are separate locker rooms for players and coaches, a players’ lounge, a dining hall that seats 200, a strength training room, a “war room” for the coaching staff, other meeting spaces, and video theaters. A video wall in the lobby—a monumental installation of 64 screens, plus a surround-sound system—displays scrimmage and game-day action as well as motivational clips. To keep the footage fresh, Nike has pledged services from an intern in its sports-media department.

Project Team:

Jenn Ward; Ryan Yaden; Sean Gummer; Anson Morris: Firm 151. Jan Willemse; Robert Packard; Robert Snyder; Kelvin Ono; Brad Lest; Owen Turnbull; Yoshiyuki Watanabe; Dieneke Kniffin; Walker Templeton; Keith Eayrs; Peggy Tasker; Man Hui Chan: ZGF Architects.