School Construction News interviews Nate Appleman, AIA, LEED AP, director of Sports + Recreation + Entertainment in Kansas City, about HOK’s unique approaches to planning attractive yet highly functional, sustainable campuses.
Excerpted from School Construction News:
What technology or modeling programs have been most useful to your firm in crafting master plans?
Three-dimensional modeling is important to communicating intent with clients who aren’t used to looking at architectural plans. These programs allow them to understand a project’s scope, program and size very effectively. At times, we create low-tech, physical models to look at specific planning issues and building placement so we can truly see and appreciate the building’s form and location on a site in relationship to other buildings on campus.
How will environmental sustainability continue to impact master planning on both the K-12 and university levels?
Sustainability will continue to be a key priority for master plans on college campuses and will continue to evolve. This is particularly true for sports facilities, which are often anchors for a campus community. Just a few years ago, universities and municipalities asked about how to reduce water use, minimize waste, save energy and reduce costs.
Looking to the future, next-generation campus facilities must now go a step further to create and produce; enhancing the habitat, generating water, creating resources, harvesting energy and adding lasting project value. Ideally, the collegiate stadiums and recreation centers of the future will generate more energy than they consume, providing surrounding businesses and mixed-use developments with valuable resources from which to draw.