We completed the conceptual design of a new, 2,600-seat baseball stadium (Coombs Field) for Duke University. The design centers around an arcaded street façade done in the traditional Duke College Gothic style, integrating it with the existing campus.
Passing through the arcaded façade, visitors would step into a plaza flanked by slick glass and steel architecture of this state-of-the-art ballpark facility. From the plaza, spectators enter the stadium through a large portal at the top of the seating bowl which is on axis with the first base line. Locating the concourse at this elevated level allows fans to queue up for concessions and never lose sight of the game.
Coombs Field is closely integrated into its hilltop site. The seating bowl and clubhouse nestle into the hillside that parallels the 1st Base line, thus minimizing the amount of exterior walls which reduces construction costs, as well as heating and cooling loads, while affording a grass roof terrace that can be used as an additional spectator area. The roof terrace is also at grade with the press and suite level, creating the feel of a park within a park.
Photovoltaic solar panels on the canopy will help power the facility and a rain collection system will conserve water.
