Energizing a new campus district
Phillips Exeter Academy
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![Field House at Dusk_ PEA](/sites/default/files/2021-10/2_Field%20House%20at%20Dusk_%20PEA_JohnHorner.jpg)
ARC guided us through the complicated process to transform a major campus district with a beautiful new focal point.
Mark Leighton, Director of Facilities Management
![East Elevation_PEA](/sites/default/files/2021-10/3_East%20Elevation_PEA_JohnHorner.jpg)
Balancing old and new contextual design
The state-of-the-art facility’s design delicately integrates a palette of rich materials to gracefully unify a campus district. Natural stone and pre-cast panels complement the campus’ neighboring buildings, all built across disparate eras - including the limestone-clad Thompson Gym (1910), the concrete Love Gym complex (1970), and the more recent masonry of the new Center for Theater and Dance.
![Northeast Main Entry_PEA](/sites/default/files/2021-10/9_Northeast%20Main%20Entry_PEA_WarrenPatterson.jpg)
Connecting with the campus environment
The facility’s exterior design was carefully coordinated with overall campus planning and landscape elements. The pre-cast panel wall cladding subtly bends from the north-to-south façade, reinforcing the angles of adjacent walkways and creating vistas that reveal connections between buildings, open spaces, and connecting pedestrian paths.
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The field house is just one part of the overall South Campus Master Plan, developed collaboratively by ARC and Phillips Exeter to transform the entire south side of the campus.
- The field house serves as a central hinge point for the large and revitalized campus district, and includes new vehicular and pedestrian entries.
We are thrilled to have a bright, open, collegiate-level field house that allows our athletic teams and physical education programs to excel all year long.
Mark Leighton, Director of Facilities Management
![East Facade_PEA](/sites/default/files/2021-10/8_East%20Facade_PEA_WarrenPatterson.jpg)
Enlightening the wellness community
One of the project’s greatest successes was in brightening a building type typically devoid of sunlight. Translucent systems and minimal openings are employed on the west and south, but large openings are maximized on the north and east - including a bold pattern of vertical windows on the east façade that create powerful visual connections to the landscape beyond.
![View from Spectator Seating_PEA](/sites/default/files/2021-10/7_View%20from%20Spectator%20Seating_PEA_RobertUmenhofer.jpg)
![Indoor Track_PEA](/sites/default/files/2021-10/4_Indoor%20Track_PEA_JohnHorner.jpg)
![Pole Vault Area_PEA](/sites/default/files/2021-10/5_Pole%20Vault%20Area_PEA_RobertUmenhofer.jpg)
![Shot Put Area_ PEA](/sites/default/files/2021-10/6_Shot%20Put%20Area_%20PEA_RobertUmenhofer.jpg)
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Regenerative design on a large scale
The large scale of the field house helps maximize the use of regenerative design principles. A 1,500 panel solar rooftop array - one of the largest in the state - offsets approximately 75% of the building’s energy. Large ceiling fans cool without air conditioning, and efficient use of the site’s natural topography allows for campus parking under the building and greatly reduced stormwater runoff.
![solar panels2.jpg](/sites/default/files/2021-10/solar%20panels2_0.jpg)
Photography: John Horner Photography; Robert Umenhofer Photography; Warren Patterson Photography