Over multiple years, VMDO worked with Emory & Henry University’s faculty, staff, and Athletics Department investigating multiple solutions to meet the college’s needs to upgrade and expand their aging athletic facilities on the main campus as well as expanding to nearby property. On campus investigations included investigations of the existing King Center, a facility housing most of their athletic programs. A study examining field sports included extending baseball, softball, tennis, track & field, and soccer to the east, which would concentrate all sports on campus. Alternative consideration was given to locating these venues, as well as a new indoor track and an aquatics & fitness center, adjacent to and visible from the highway. This option was preferred by the university for its increased visibility, announcing the bucolic campus less than half a mile from the freeway exit.

The first phase to be built will be a Multi-Sport Complex for soccer, lacrosse, rugby, and track & field. The design approach for this facility takes conceptual and material cues from existing campus architecture, coupled with metal siding painted an immediately recognizable “Emory & Henry Blue.” Meeting the university’s long-term goals, the multi-phased master plan and subsequent design approach target the most immediate athletic needs under an efficient and actionable timeline.