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CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT, CHANGE YOUR OUTCOME - HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS STUDY

Early October 2020, rain delay and all, the Hanover Central Boys Tennis Team won their first ever Sectional Championship. For the last two (2) seasons they won their conference going undefeated, an impressive feat. Only a few years ago, the boy’s soccer team had only one (1) win for the season; the boys and girls now compete for Sectional Championships on a regular basis. So, what does this have to do with Architecture or being a Good Architect? Approximately four (4) years ago a project was completed at Hanover Central High School, transforming their Athletic environment for Tennis and Soccer.

HHAE used an innovative design for the Tennis courts creating clear practice walls for Tennis courts, with a coach’s box directly behind to be able to observe technique, film, etc. with a clear line of sight. Championship tennis courts were centered and staggered with new bleachers, scorebox building, masonry columns, bottle fill stations, scoreboards, lighting, and more for the players, coaches and public. The Soccer fields were redesigned with proper drainage, players areas, netting, scoreboards, lighting, and more for a regulation state-of-the-art field. Post-tensioned concrete design, which we won an award for by the Indiana Concrete Association, was used for the tennis courts with a surface coating to provide more consistent and predictable play, while significantly reducing / eliminating cracking. Our belief that changing the built environment has transcendent effects on human outcomes; this would be a prime example. The wonderful thing is, this kind of thought process and careful consideration during design for a project, can have significant positive outcomes at any scale.

Studies have shown, that the built environment can have an impact on many potential outcomes, mental and physical. A quick search for these relationships with provide several results connecting those outcomes. That is why thoughtful solutions, depending on the age, occupancy, human conditions, etc. that are being considered during design, are so important and will have an impact on end users. One group, smaller simpler spaces may be appropriate, but not for another group. A Good Architect will consider all avenues with the entire team before arriving at a potential solution. So, whether we do a one (1) room Hospital design or large-scale master planning and new buildings, we believe more than ever that CHANGING YOUR ENVIRONMENT can CHANGE YOUR OUTCOME. We are extremely proud of the Hanover Central Athletics Teams for their achievements and utilizing the space for positive growth.

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