Kupcho

We were approached to develop a concept for a hockey rink, and it surrounding site, in Naperville, IL. The site was situated away from downtown, amid a cluster of land that was owned by the same developer hoping to turn the area into an entertainment district for the populous suburb. Local code required a percentage of the site be untouched or used for outdoor activities. Finally, the neighbor to the west of our site is a retirement community, and the request was made that any development of this site be sensitive to the resident’s needs for privacy and prevent sound pollution from crossing our western edge.

The design team, including our in-house team of landscape architects, worked closely with the contractor to develop a scheme that was responsive to the above constraints. We eventually settled on a strategy that focused on the use of natural vegetation to provide sound barriers between us and the neighbors, distributed parking between daily and event parking, and provided plenty of space for pathways and future amenity development.

For the development of the rink itself, the client’s highest priority was flexibility. They were interested in two rinks, with one large enough to feature events beyond hockey games/tournaments. We studied a series of seating concepts, focusing on an even distribution of seats and maintaining quality site lines throughout. We considered two primary options, the horseshoe which would allow for the rink to convert to an auditorium and and a more typical doughnut, allowing for seating on all side. Ultimately, the project was placed on hold before a final determination could be made.

The form of the building was driven by the pragmatic concerns of its use, but our aesthetic developed along two separate axis: a new take on a traditional form, and transparency between the site and the interior. The result was a form that is a version of a traditional hockey shed, with our design including clerestory lights in the primary rink. This form wraps around a glass facade which would provide views of the practice rink from the exterior, as well as provide for easy wayfinding in the event of large scale events.