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Emil and Patricia A. Jones Convocation Center
Chicago State University Project Description The 160,000 SF Emil and Patricia A. Jones Convocation Center at Chicago State University features a main arena that seats 6,000 spectators for intercollegiate athletic events or 7,000 for convocations and other events. The main floor is designed for one court of basketball or two courts of volleyball. The facility also accommodates a stage for non-athletic events. Support facilities—including offices, concession areas, a lobby with ticket booths, a training center for athletes, dressing rooms, lockers, and storage and service areas—optimize the multiple functions of the center. The building was carefully designed to integrate with the rest of the campus. In context with the neighboring brick building, the Center incorporates similar masonry, massing, and colors. An overhang metal roof adds a contemporary and appropriately scaled “top” to the building. The entrance lobby with large glass exposure is used for pre-game activities and receptions. Two spiral staircases flanking the entrance lobby connect to the main concourse and upper level seating areas; encased in brick, the cylinders create a striking part of the building's profile and are also visible from within the arena. Clerestory windows above the stairwells allow natural light into the common spaces of the building. Goals and Visions The University’s 1999–2000 Strategic Plan, entitled "Building on Tradition: Repositioning the University for Excellence in the New Century," called for a new Convocation Center to meet the University’s needs. After conducting market analyses and planning studies on campus and in the surrounding community, CSU realized that a new convocation center would not only serve the University's space needs for large gatherings and athletics events but also serve regional cultural needs. So they began the process to design a facility that would be available for community use and flexible to accommodate multiple event configurations. CSU also wanted a unique, exciting building that fit within the context of the existing campus. Meeting the Educational Need/Program CSU was renting a high school gym for its Division I intercollegiate basketball and volleyball programs, with spectator seating capacity far short of Division I standards. Also, there was a dearth of meeting and banquet-type space in the community. Both needs were met with the new Convocation Center. The Center has provided a needed social amenity for existing students, as well as improving the recruitment of new students, faculty and staff. The University has already convened commencement ceremonies, conferences, men's and women's basketball and volleyball games, and an international tournament in this facility. In addition, CSU has hosted eight Chicago Public School basketball tournaments and multiple concerts. Forthcoming events are designed to appeal to a broad cross session of audiences. The University is exceptionally pleased to provide local and regional access of this caliber to the many communities that they serve. Furthermore, the Center will host Olympic preliminary round basketball games if Chicago wins the 2016 Summer Olympic Games bid. Planning Process The planning process included college administrators, department faculty and staff, and students. Community representatives were also contacted to determine the type and frequency of events they might support. The design team worked closely with CSU’s facility group and users. As new user events were considered, programmatic changes were incorporated. Special Challenges and Solutions Late in the design time line, the team was requested to add a sky lounge to the arena for private events. And during construction, the team was requested to redesign the loading dock and some interior spaces so that a vehicle could by driven inside the facility, to accommodate event organizers bringing in their own large equipment. The project team was diligent in incorporating these University-requested changes so that the client ended up with a facility that they now refer to as “the best that the city of Chicago or the state of Illinois has ever seen.” Another challenge faced by the team was hyper inflation of the cost of construction materials. Steel and concrete prices were going up so rapidly that by the time the project was ready to begin construction, the bids came in over budget. The University worked with the Illinois Capital Development Board to secure the extra funding needed to cover the materials cost, and construction was able to proceed. Unique Features/Innovations The building is unique in its form, with intriguing contrasts in building materials, texture, color, glass versus solid, and light versus shadow—while remaining fully contextual in its campus setting. Deeply recessed expanses of glass at all four corners permit natural light to spill into the arena without the problem that direct sunlight poses for athletic competitions. Masonry-clad cylindrical forms at either end of the building create a striking profile and house high-capacity stairs. Spectators enter the building at the midway point of the seating array and can take these stair up or down to their seat location. The cylinders extend all the way around to the interior, bringing the masonry inside the arena. The same brick used on the exterior is applied to the interior of the lobby, creating a unique space that runs the entire length of the Center, accommodating large group interaction before and after events and during intermissions. Safety and Security Considerations Safety of occupants is a primary concern of the building. The design team hired consultants to verify the egress routes from the seating areas within the facility. Computer modeling showed that the building can be completely evacuated in a safe and expedient manner. The modeled exit scenarios were presented to the regulatory agencies for their approval. Security issues are also considered in this facility. Surveillance cameras are installed in all interior public spaces and on the building's exterior, along with security lighting. All interior doors to locker and training rooms have security code touch pad locksets. Environmental Considerations The building's siting preserved heavily landscaped areas elsewhere on the campus. The decision to use existing parking lots rather than paving new ones or constructing a parking structure was also an environmentally conscious choice. Due to its location in an urban area, CSU is served by multiple transportation modes. A major transit line and a number of bus routes have stops near or on the campus. This contributes to the Center’s ability to serve the surrounding community effectively, as well as reducing vehicle use and parking demand. The building's flexibility to accommodate multiple uses and the University's decision to open the facility to community use prevents redundant construction of buildings with similar functions and assures a high usage rate for the facility.Materials Choices Similar masonry was carefully selected in an effort to integrate the new facility into the campus context. The use of brick also provides scale and warmth to an otherwise monumental building. A pattern composed in two accent colors of brick adds visual interest. Soldier courses and a dotting of bricks laid in relief create texture. Metal and glass elements create a unique, contemporary look. Interiors are accented in evergreen and white, the school's colors. Site Considerations Preliminary site analyses indicated three viable sites on the 161-acre campus where the building and 600 parking spaces could be situated. The final determination of the proposed site was made after detailed space/functional programs were conducted and environmental considerations were addressed. The site selected for the Convocation Center is located immediately south of the existing Dickens Athletic & P.E. Center, east of the major academic parking lots. Accounting for the diversity of academic, athletic, and entertainment programs, the need for 600 spaces to serve Convocation Center functions was satisfied by higher utilization of the existing lots, particularly in the evening. Locating the Convocation Center on the south side of the campus had distinct benefits:
The site selected for the Convocation Center completes the campus master plan, which is based on a network of closely interrelated structures each directly accessible to parking. Outdoor athletic facilities are located immediately south of the Center, including new tennis courts replacing those previously located on the Convocation Center site. Cost Effectiveness Previously, a high quality facility of this type did not exist anywhere in the area. Allowing community use of the facility met this need and also made the project economically feasible for the University, bringing much-needed revenue including part-time jobs for a large number of students. According to Dr. Sandra Westbrooks, Provost & Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, "The Emil and Patricia A. Jones Convocation Center symbolizes a distinct identity and pride for our athletics department, our student body, and our community. This building was an excellent addition to the campus, fulfilling the vision we developed of a top-notch, multi-purpose, state-of-the-art facility."
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