Rice Athletic Center
About Project
JHS Architecture was selected in 2008 to design the third structure, the Rice Athletic Center, for what is becoming the renovated site for the University of South Carolina Athletics. This area is located in the Roost Master plan which is conceived as an Athletic Village. The purpose of the structure is to provide a facility in which coaches from most of the University’s sports and various supporting departments can coexist under one roof. The building will also accommodate the offices of the Athletic Director and the Assistant Athletic Directors. Lastly, the facility will be a critical component of the reinvigorated athletic infrastructure at USC which is so important to the perception of potential athletic recruits.
The building shall bear the crucial responsibility of defining the eastern edge of the entrance to the courtyard and the Athletic Village. The building’s architecture seeks to adhere with the University’s Design Guidelines and carry forward certain themes established in the Academic Enrichment Center. The design team seeks a sculptural balance employing carefully conceived asymmetry between the structures. The palette of materials, i.e. brick, glass and cast stone, established for the Academic Enrichment Center shall persist at the Athletic Coaches Support Building. However, detailing will generally be more restrained in an effort to acknowledge University Design Guidelines, the adjacent residential neighborhood and to establish a proper hierarchy of detail within the Athletic Village.
The building was initially conceived as three floors of roughly 20,000 square feet per floor. The building program is focused on office environments with inspired public areas and practical service spaces. A public circulation spine is envisioned along the courtyard façade. This space serves as an elongated entrance space, but may also serve to offer a narrative for Gamecock sports through displays and graphics. This project is also being designed to receive Silver LEED Certification.
