Events and Aquatics Center

The City of Conway, after a marketing and feasibility study, identified strong community interest in aquatic facilities and sought to secure bond approval with solid community backing. The city enlisted Hastings+Chivetta with Arkansas-based Crafton Tull to design the renovated facility. The design process involved sixteen interactive workshops, both on-site and virtual, with the City Council, Park and Recreation Staff, and Planning Committee. Additionally, six workshops included open Town Halls to facilitate broad community input.

Recreational Amenities
The renovated structure incorporates a gymnasium with twelve pickleball/badminton courts, eight volleyball courts, fitness center, youth and community lounges, child watch room, extra-wide walking track around the courts, three multipurpose rooms, office suite, restroom and locker rooms, and three multiple party rooms for event rental.

Indoor Aquatics
The venue accommodates year-round lap swimming and competition in an 8-Lane, 25-Yard pool. A separate temperature-controlled warming/cooling pool provides two swim lanes and large whirlpool. Spectator seating capacity is 250.

Outdoor Aquatics
Outdoor amenities are supported by concessions, shade structures, and open deck space to accommodate 400 for sun bathing or parental supervision.

The channel pool includes a lazy river, vortex, plunge pool, and underwater bubble benches. There are three separate slides, and a shallow pool for toddlers. The leisure pool includes a zero-depth entry, play feature, tanning ledges, bubble benches, and climbing wall for climbers to ascend and plunge back into the pool.

The St. Louis County Department of Parks and Recreation engaged Hastings+Chivetta for the design of the new North County Recreation Complex water park. The old flat-water pool’s age and obsolescence presented safety concerns for swimmers, so the existing pool deck, tank and mechanical systems were demolished to make way for much-needed upgrades.

Keeping leisure and athletic swimmers of all ages in mind, the family-friendly water park includes a 10,000 SF leisure pool as well as a 900 SF toddler pool with a myriad of features for everyone to enjoy.

The toddler pool boasts zero depth entry and a tot-sized slide to keep the little ones safe, and cascades and spray water features provide small swimmers an entertaining escape from the summer heat. The larger leisure pool also features zero depth entry, water slides, a play structure and spray features for older children and adults alike. Other attractions include a 240 ft. lazy river, three lap lanes, one-meter diving boards, three water basketball goals and a water volleyball net.

Hastings+Chivetta is working with the City of Jonesboro to develop a design for their new Sportsplex. The facility will be one-of-a-kind in Northeast Arkansas, offering amenities not available elsewhere in the region.

Currently in the planning stage, the Hastings+Chivetta team is working with community representatives to develop options for the Sportsplex. The broader goal is for the project to become an economic driver for the region by hosting a variety of tournament events and meets.

Multiple concepts are currently being explored. A multi-court gymnasium is the highlight of the facility, with uses including basketball, volleyball and pickleball. Flexible bleacher seating is included as well. This space creates a venue for local and regional tournaments, as well as for local school teams and recreational users. The gym is supported by a large dining area off of the main lobby that would be a revenue-generating opportunity for the Sportsplex.

A 50 meter pool includes team seating for 500 and spectator seating above for nearly 1,000. A potential adjacent lap pool would allow for local and regional meet use as well as local recreation use.

Potential additional amenities include an indoor tennis center or an indoor soccer center.

Hastings+Chivetta collaborated with Dordt University and the City of Sioux Center to design the American State Bank Sports Complex, which prominently features an impressive indoor turf dome. This air-supported structure measures approximately 250 by 450 feet and rises 75 feet high, providing a versatile space for activities such as football, soccer, and softball. For Dordt University, the dome significantly enhances athletic programming, offering year-round training and practice opportunities for multiple teams simultaneously. The facility supports the physical well-being of students and ensures consistent athletic instruction throughout the year.

The City of Sioux Center also benefits from this state-of-the-art facility, using it to promote year-round wellness, recreation, and sporting activities. The complex hosts a variety of community events, including city recreation activities, youth athletic leagues, and other local gatherings when not in use by the University. With an estimated annual visitor count of over 200,000 between the university and city events, the American State Bank Sports Complex serves as a crucial hub for both athletic excellence and community engagement.

Athletics and team building are core components to the student experience at Principia School, and their facilities needed to match the expectations of the school, students, and families.  The old fieldhouse lacked sufficient gym space, causing significant scheduling challenges.  Other athletics spaces were constrained as well, and the school engaged Hastings+Chivetta to design their new facility.

The performance gym within the new Fieldhouse serves as a competitive space for basketball, volleyball, and P.E. classes. With retractable bleachers providing flexible seating for 700 spectators and direct access to the viewing platform above, it also hosts special events, guest speakers, educational programs, and camps for the entire school.

The three-court fieldhouse gym allows for multiple sports to practice simultaneously, including track and field, basketball, volleyball, pickleball, badminton and baseball. Additionally, the adjacent fitness center is equipped with cardio machines, free weights, and a turf strip for functional training.

A versatile multipurpose space has been incorporated into the Fieldhouse to accommodate wrestling, dance, cheerleading, and special events. Its design includes lighting controls, finishes, and amenities suitable for formal dinners.

The Fieldhouse also features a Character Lab classroom, integrating wellness and character education, aligning with the school’s mission of character development and holistic growth.

To facilitate student-coach interactions, the locker rooms serve as individual character labs, named after the school’s esteemed coaches, equipped with marker boards and video monitors. Each team has its designated locker room to ensure privacy and foster camaraderie.

The Fieldhouse offices are designed to encourage effective communication and provide a welcoming environment for visitors, promoting inclusivity within the school community.

Gender equity was prioritized in the design, rectifying the significant disparity in space allocation amongst genders in the previous fieldhouse. The new Fieldhouse provides gender-diverse spaces, including locker rooms and restrooms, ensuring a comfortable and inclusive environment for all users.

The O’Loughlin Family Champions Center at St. Louis University prioritizes the academic success and wellbeing of student athletes and is designed first and foremost for student athletes.  This facility serves all 400 NCAA DI athletes and is conveniently located near the university’s athletic facilities.

The two-story lobby is designed to be transparent and inviting to fans, recruits, donors, and visitors. It proudly displays the university’s Billiken mascot and “SLU Blue” color scheme, reinforcing the school’s athletic heritage. Terrazzo floors, wood-look acoustic ceilings, and integrated LED lighting create a visually appealing environment throughout the center. Athletes have direct access to the adjacent Chaifetz Arena and athletic fields for practices and game day events.

On the main level, the Performance Nutrition Center offers large group dining for athletes and also serves as a community event space. The adjacent Team Dining Suite allows teams to eat together, bond, and review game films. The Fueling Station provides healthy grab-and-go options.

The Student Success Suite provides athletes with spiritual development, sports psychology, academic tutoring, career counseling, and student-athlete development opportunities. The space is designed with flexible furniture, ample natural light, and accessible technology to facilitate collaboration.

The Billiken Victory Room, overlooking the lobby, serves as the primary recruiting space for the Athletic Department. It offers privacy for potential athletes, coaches, and families to meet and review films. The Victory Room provides easy access to the basketball coaches’ offices and offers views of nearby soccer and baseball fields. The Men’s and Women’s team office suites provide private offices and meeting rooms with integrated technology.

Additionally, dedicated spaces were created for team film viewing, including a basketball film room (Technology Suite) and a Technology Classroom for larger teams and departmental meetings.

Hastings+Chivetta worked with the College of Wooster to re-imagine the Lowry Student Center. The project was developed in phases, with the ultimate goal of creating a collaborative student-focused environment. Built in 1968, the Lowry Student Center was originally designed for 1,400 students. It is the central gathering place for students on campus, as well as faculty and staff. Spaces include:

• Campus post office
• Campus bookstore
• Art exhibit space
• Computer lab
• Multiple small meeting rooms and large event space for up to 450
• Kittredge Dining Hall and Lowry Center Dining Hall, both serving the entire campus
• “Mom’s Truckstop” for late-night gathering
• “Old Main Cafe” for coffee and dessert
• “Pop’s Sub-Stop” for grab-and-go

With enrollment now exceeding 2,000 students, and with significant changes in student expectations over the last 40 years, Hastings+Chivetta designed a series of phased renovations to modernize the Center.

The first phase addressed both the underutilized Scot Bowling Lanes and a large game room in the lower level. Our design team converted the Scot Lanes into a large Student Activity and Meeting center. The new glass-enclosed space encourages passersby to join in student meetings, a game of pool or ping pong, as well as presentations and performances on the small stage. The outdated furniture and finishes were overhauled, and the space was equipped with flexible furniture to accommodate a range of group activities.

Across the hall, a large game room was converted into five glass-enclosed collaboration rooms designed for small-group meetings. Each room is equipped with large wall-mounted monitors and plenty of white boards. Future phases of renovation and expansion are also being planned.

Saint Louis University (SLU) continued their professional relationship with Hastings+Chivetta by engaging H+C to convert space in the lower level of the Busch Student Center into the new E-Sports Gaming Lab. The SLU E-Sports program began with the club team’s founding in 2017, and students will be able to continue competing at that level.

The new E-Sports facility supports the expansion of SLU’s E-Sports program. The Spring 2020 facility opening and program launch created opportunities for students to get involved in open recreational play, intramural teams, club teams, and a varsity team. Student Development also plans to offer E-Sports scholarships.

The E-Sports Gaming Lab features 12 stations for computer gaming, 3 large TV monitors for spectators, and SLU Billiken branding throughout. The space will be open for general student use when the varsity team isn’t using the Gaming Lab as their practice facility.

Performance Learning reinvigorates a campus and transforms the student experience.  

 

Serving as the new front door to Millikin University, the Commons is the largest building project in the history of the University, and is designed with the explicit intent of creating a unified home for Performance Learning on campus. The renovation and expansion took the 1970s-era Staley library and created the new “front door” to campus. Organizations formerly located in different facilities throughout campus are consolidated in the Commons, including:

Hastings+Chivetta was engaged by Central Bank of St. Louis to design the renovation of their flagship branch in Clayton, Missouri. Located in a prominent Class A office tower in the Clayton business district, Central Bank has occupied their offices for more than 40 years. The location houses a range of functions, including retail banking, lending operations and corporate offices. Cosmetic upgrades have been made over the years, however changes in the banking industry are driving the need for a more holistic look at Central Bank’s functional working environment. Hastings+Chivetta’s planners evaluated a range of factors, including the work style and functions of each department. Changes in the banking industry as a whole are driving a reduced emphasis on retail/transactional banking functions (especially teller windows) at Central Bank. An increased focus has been placed on financial services including personal investment and commercial banking. As a result, the redesigned branch incorporates changes in the ratios of private offices to open offices, consolidates staff groups by function, and presents an updated aesthetic to clients.