The new Civic Park in Eugene, Oregon was designed for the Eugene Civic Alliance by Skylab, along with local partner architect Robertson Sherwood Architects, to revitalize a neighborhood. A fire destroyed the iconic Eugene Civic Stadium, the site of the new park. The new project is designed to revitalize the neighborhood and create new opportunities for recreation, physical education and community connection. It’ll also use reclaimed materials from the original stadium to upcycle into the new stadium.
The Eugene Civic Park is a complex comprised of a new 40,000 square foot field house, a new stadium, sports field and facilities for non-profit after-school activities through KidSports, a nonprofit afterschool organization.
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The stadium is located next to Amazon Creek, which gave the project immediate environmental concerns. The new project addresses the site considerations by working to restore the site’s original watershed ecology. It also works with the existing topography to direct stormwater to a planted green space.
North-facing angled clerestories provide ample sunlight for the six multipurpose athletic courts used for basketball, volleyball and other sports. The field house was built using an affordable, pre-engineered Butler steel building system for cost-efficient structural strength. The modular design afforded by this building material allowed the design team free reign designing interior spaces for coaches and public meetings.
“The design of the field house is inspired by the patterns inherent in human movement. Subtle gestures, including syncopated window patterns, angled walls, sloping berms and shifts in the rib spacing of the metal siding, integrate movement into the building itself,” according to Skylab.
Despite the unfortunate fire that destroyed the original stadium on this site, materials were able to be reclaimed from the damaged building and used for the new building project. This includes the indoor wood benches and reception desks.
A second phase of the park still to be built will feature a 2,500-seat stadium. An office suite, skybox, press box, locker rooms, storage and officials’ rooms will go with the stadium.
Photography by Stephen A. Miller
