Upper Iowa University – Harms-Eischeid Stadium

Project Description

Upper Iowa University’s stadium expansion transforms an existing stadium through creative design solutions. The addition wraps around an existing building and accommodates 3,500 home seats, a primary goal of the expansion.

Project Details

  • Client Upper Iowa University
  • Location Fayette, IA
  • Use Stadium
  • Sq. ft. 19,500
  • Completed 2012

Prior to renovations, visitors to the UIU stadium entered the complex via a gravel road and, once the small grandstand was filled to capacity, huddled on the two hillsides on either side of the grandstand.  The field itself was natural grass. SFA and the design team studied several options for the stadium, and determined that a selective demolition, renovation, and addition would best meet the needs of the University.

 

Upper Iowa University’s stadium expansion transforms…

Prior to renovations, visitors to the UIU stadium entered the complex via a gravel road and, once the small grandstand was filled to capacity, huddled on the two hillsides on either side of the grandstand.  The field itself was natural grass. SFA and the design team studied several options for the stadium, and determined that a selective demolition, renovation, and addition would best meet the needs of the University.

 

Upper Iowa University’s stadium expansion transforms an existing stadium through creative design solutions. The addition wraps around the existing building and accommodates 3,500 home seats, a primary goal of the expansion. A glass-enclosed press box (nearly 10 times the size of the original) and VIP suites allow occupants to view the turf-field football stadium on one side and the soccer fields on the other. The elevated press box creates an open concourse area underneath, along with new entry gates, masonry pillars, and traditional black metal fencing, which gives a sense of welcome and entry while helping with crowd control.

 

Architecturally, the building takes its cues from this Midwestern campus’s design standards, which were inspired by the Prairie School of architecture. The heavy, well-detailed limestone masonry grounds the building in the earth. The windows, grouped in long bands and the low, hipped roof reinforce the horizontal emphasis of the design. Throughout, there is a focus on materials and craftsmanship.