Clear Creek ISD—Challenger Columbia Stadium
Architect: PBK Sports
“Stadium is comprised of a closed aluminum deck with structural steel frame, a two story Pressbox, Concourse level behind the grandstands containing concessions, storage and restrooms. Video Scoreboard.All weather turf field for football and soccer and an 8 lane track. A two story End Zone facility containing Changing Rooms, Team Restrooms, Showers, Offices, First Aid, EMS, Security Office, Storage, Laundry, Custodian, Serving Kitchen, Athletic Offices, Storage, Green Room and Community Room(s)”
Design
The stadium architecture was designed to create a celestial environment, a departure, an experience, a place for students to excel, to dream, and a stage for students to perform beyond their limits.
The scale, building lines and organization of the stadium reflect orbital lines and a galactic structure. Spectators will ascend to different elevations as they approach grand stairs to elevate them from ground level to the main concourse level.
Value
The 10,000-seat stadium is home to a football/soccer field and a NCAA eight-lane track, and further provides a venue for events, tournaments, graduation ceremonies, band competitions, fine arts exhibitions and field and agriculture events on the periphery. The stadium is an important resource in a growing community with a diverse event calendar. The facility can quickly transform to a venue for fine arts, staff development, banquets and other community events that create revenue generation.
Sustainability
The integration of Metal Halide sports lighting and LED security lighting offers the stadium high quality light with minimal glare and unparalleled light control. This targeted system only lightens the field of play, meaning there is no glare from lights into the neighborhood. This system allows the reduction of energy consumption while providing fun opportunities for the community. The stadium facilities are designed to ASHRAE 90.1 and have High Efficiency HVAC Units and security lighting.
Community
NASA is the heart of this city’s economy and community. Many community members are former or current employees of the space program. The NASA legacy is integral to this part of the state, so not only the name of the stadium, but also the design, particularly the graphics honoring the fallen astronauts, are an important part of the project. Family, friends and colleagues of the missions still live and work for the space program today.
Planning
The project came about as a result of a 2013 bond program. The public was very involved in the design and planning process from the beginning. It was the Bay Area community that decided on the name of the facility. The design team worked with the school district, current and former NASA employees, and even family members of some of the astronauts to ensure the design met expectations.
School Transformation
The stadium is state-of-the-art, with cutting-edge synthetic turf and next generation track systems to support area athletics. Since it was clear the stadium would be very much integrated into the city, the design team focused on making it as multi-purpose as possible to support a variety of events and see near constant use. Special attention was also paid to connecting the space exploration theme of the stadium to its interior wayfinding and wall graphics.
Star of Distinction Category Winner