Sited on a small triangular lot in center of UCLA’s campus, The Mo Ostin Basketball Center is a new 35,000-SF energy-forward joint practice facility for the university’s men’s and women’s basketball teams. Inspired by the transformative power of transparency in higher education, kdA’s design for the center is anchored in the belief that there is an inherent performative aspect to the art of honing and perfecting a craft.

Completed in October 2017, the building was certified LEED Platinum in 2018 – the highest possible certification level available and a relatively rare achievement: roughly 5% of all LEED qualifying projects achieve a Platinum certification.

Site & Urban Context

Located in UCLA’s growing athletics precinct in the heart of campus, the building site is a corner lot next to the new Wasserman Football Center and in the same immediate complex as the famed Pauley Pavilion. Faced with the challenge of configuring two large NCAA standard practice basketball courts on such a constrained site, kdA chose to place both men and women’s courts on the ground level. Although the typical vertically stacked scheme was explored, the chosen configuration optimized overall court dimensions, met Title IX requirements and provided significant structural and envelope cost savings.

Program & Social Context

As the UCLA campus has evolved the administration decided to invest critical campus resources in new infrastructure to support their award-winning athletic programs. The UCLA Basketball Center was one of a series of athletic building projects, and provides a dedicated pioneering wellness center and equitable support system for the men’s and women’s basketball team, frees up previously over-booked athletic facilities on campus, and anchors the athletics precinct on the campus. The previous athletic and practice facilities were shared by five athletic teams and campus recreation as well as private and public events all vie for access to those limited resources; UCLA wanted a dedicated basketball practice facility to give more flexibility to everyone utilizing the main arena, which would allow student-athletes to enjoy more consistent schedules both academically and athletically. This facility is completely dedicated to student-athletes: they can practice, train and get treatment all in one location.

Formal Architectural Strategy

Two unique design elements arose from extensive site studies by the team. First, both practice courts were placed on the ground level, which kept costs in line as the project moved forward. Second, energy demand is minimized throughout the day via the design of custom north facing skylights that ensure high levels of glare-free, indirect daylight, which is critical for practices that occur throughout the day. The building includes men’s and women’s practice gyms, locker rooms, separate conference rooms that overlook each court, a film room, an athletic training room, and a nutrition center.

Building & Technology

High performance both inside and out, the training center’s exterior is clad in custom molded thin panels of glass fiber reinforced concrete that are pre-fabricated off-site yet erected on-site, thus keeping down costs while creating a unique, warm undulating pattern. Inside ETFE, easily recyclable and long-lasting, is installed in the practice court skylights. Above the main entry is the highly specialized weight room that is flooded with natural light and glows as a beacon in the evening.

The mechanical system was designed as a mixed-mode natural ventilation system in the high-volume areas of the practice courts. The courts may be conditioned by natural ventilation mode during mild weather and switch to a mechanically air-conditioned system during warmer days of the year, reducing energy demand. A network of underground ductwork serves both systems. During natural ventilation mode, intake louvers on the south side of the building take advantage of the prevailing winds and direct air into the below grade ducts. Low-power propeller fans located high within the volume of the courts assist airflow and draw cool air in while exhausting hot air to the exterior. Placing the ducts underground also serves to keep the court volumes clean and sightlines clear, while also being naturally insulated.

Sustainability

Energy-efficient features include a natural ventilation system that alleviates the need for AC, and a constant daylighting from the northern-facing clerestory skylights; enabled by the arched and undulating roof design, no artificial lighting is necessary during daytime hours.

Natural daylighting is a critical sustainability and wellness strategy, providing energy performance benefits as well drastically improving the health and well-being of users. Most glazing in the building is north-facing, providing consistent, glare-free indirect daylight without heat gain. Each practice court is lit by three large clerestory windows created by the undulating roof. These windows are made up of ETFE cushions, a double-layer film that is inflated with air. The ETFE system has higher insulating properties and is lighter in weight than insulated glazing units, as well as being more economical. Artificial lighting is not needed in the practice courts and weight room during daylight hours. The sloping roofs reflect light from the windows into the space, and the practice courts utilize a programmable LED lighting system. Photo sensors determine when artificial lighting is needed to supplement daylight to reach optimal lighting levels. The system can also be programmed to simulate game-day conditions, with TV broadcast lighting standards.

The university’s standard is to exceed California’s Title 24 Energy Code requirements by 20%. The design exceeded T24 by 42%.