Sharon Fields

Sharon Fields
© Jeff Goldberg / ESTO

SHARON FIELDS

design/buildLAB

ARCHITECTS
design/buildLAB

PROFESSORS
Marie Zawistowski, Keith Zawistowski

SURVEYING
Vess Surveying

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Setareh Structural Engineering

MANUFACTURERS
Bradley Corporation USA, C.R. Laurence, Dornbracht, BMG Metals, Boxley Materials, Cooke's Gardens, Ferguson, Huber Engineered, James Hardie, Lavery Sod Farm, Marvin, Sherwin-Williams, Simpson Strong Tie, Stafford Nut & Bolt, State Electric Supply, Sugatsune, Union Church Millworks, Weyerhaeuser, Zurn, Arcet, Blanco (Soter-Martin) & Sloan (W.G. Lesemann) & Dornbracht, ConRock & Amanda's Redimix, FEIN, Haws (Costal Sales), Hydro Stop, SuperBightLED, Trimble, United, United Rentals, Waterlox-10

CIVIL ENGINEERING
VA Tech Sustainable Land Development Initiative, Randy Dymond, Kevin Young, Charles McKeever

STUDENT TEAM
Luke Dale, Mary Covert, Kevin Lee, Leah Hodgson, Hunter Stephenson, Lauryn Jean, Kayla Sloan, Casey Walker, Sarah Walker, Lily Zran Liu, Robert Riggs, Anuja Das, Sophia Hyuan Xie

AREA
2000 ft²

YEAR
2016

LOCATION
Clifton Forge, United States

CATEGORY
Sports Field

Text description provided by architect.

The Sharon Fields are the second and final phase of a Little League Baseball and Softball complex serving boys and girls from age 3 to 18 in Alleghany County, Virginia.

Sharon Fields
© Jeff Goldberg / ESTO
Sharon Fields
© Jeff Goldberg / ESTO

The project includes two ball fields: one at 225’ and one at 300’, back stops, score boards, dugouts, field equipment storage rooms, press boxes and seating mounds.

The Fields are situated on a terraced hillside. The idea driving the organization and design of the project is that the fields themselves are the primary spaces and the “built” elements serve to reinforce the identity of the fields.

Sharon Fields
© Jeff Goldberg / ESTO
Sharon Fields
© Jeff Goldberg / ESTO

To this end, each field inhabits its own terrace and the land is carved, rather than simply flattened. The resulting slopes and mounds both define the space and create elevated, informal vantages for spectators.

The dugouts are cool, white oak lined shelters from the hot summer sun. Their back walls are sliced, folded and skewed, creating benches and privacy screens for the players and coaches while inviting breezes and filtered light.

The field equipment storage rooms are white cubes with full height, full width vertical axis bi-fold doors. When closed, they disappear into anonymity; when open they become extensions of the fields. The press boxes take the form of a single tower to maximize efficiency.

Sharon Fields
© Jeff Goldberg / ESTO
Sharon Fields
© Jeff Goldberg / ESTO
Sharon Fields
© Jeff Goldberg / ESTO

The boxes themselves are expressed independently at the top of the tower, each prospecting its own field.

Horizontal axis bi-fold doors rise on electric motors to create a shade canopy for the score keepers and perforated steel stairs allow natural light to filter deep into the concession stand at the tower’s concrete base.

In the evening, points of white light emerge as a constellation on the oiled oak ceilings of all the buildings.

Sharon Fields
© Jeff Goldberg / ESTO
Sharon Fields
© Jeff Goldberg / ESTO

In this rich natural landscape, abstract forms and subtle details imbue the architecture with a peaceful presence, a magical atmosphere for family sports.

The project is constructed from 3 primary components, each in a distinct material: concrete plinths, wood boxes and steel screens. Shop drawings for all members of each component were extracted from a computer model, facilitating precise and efficient off-site prefabrication.

Sharon Fields
© Jeff Goldberg / ESTO


Sharon Fields
© Jeff Goldberg / ESTO
Sharon Fields
© Jeff Goldberg / ESTO
Sharon Fields
© Jeff Goldberg / ESTO
Sharon Fields
© Jeff Goldberg / ESTO


Sharon Fields
Site Plan
Sharon Fields
Floor Plan


Sharon Fields
Dugout Elevation
Sharon Fields
Elevations


Sharon Fields
Detail
Sharon Fields
Render


Sharon Fields
Scheme
Sharon Fields
Scheme


Sharon Fields
Sketch
Sharon Fields
Model


Sharon Fields
Perspective Section