For years, the University of Maryland community has recognized the campus’ iconic McKeldin Mall as the “heart of campus.” Geographically, however, one would need to look north, to UMD’s Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium, home to the Terp baseball team. This topographical reality represents a larger disconnect—a physical division, where students must maneuver around UMD’s looming stadiums to traverse north and south on campus, as well as a perceived social division between students and student-athletes.
This year, a multi-disciplinary studio course between the anthropology and architecture programs examined the dichotomy between “Terps” and “Terp Athletes” and how that disconnect is amplified by the university’s physical space. The result are master plan alternatives for the athletic department and university that breakdown physical and perceptional barriers through design, realize the vibrancy of the “heart” of campus, and promote a more integrated student body.
The contemporary challenge at the center of the project has historic roots, brought to light by a couple of college buddies looking to give back to their alma mater. An all-star for Maryland in the ‘80s, Mark Ciardi is best known for his powerful Hollywood arm, producing a slew of successful sports movies, from The Rookie to Secretariat. But, baseball—and UMD—is in his blood, which is why last year, he hatched a plan with former teammate Scott Venturelli, and college roommate and successful architect Joe Brancato, to re-conceptualize not just UMD’s baseball stadium, but the space surrounding it.
“I was amazed to find out through this project that some people didn’t even know where the baseball stadium was located on campus,” said Joe Brancato, who is a partner at Gensler in New York. “We have multiple problems that we’re here to solve. It’s not just the stadium, it’s the connectivity of north and south campus. It’s the perceived dichotomy between academics, athletics and resident life. By tackling the stadium, we get a chance to solve a much bigger problem.”
With the backing of Athletic Director Kevin Anderson and the enthusiasm of MAPP Dean David Cronrath and Gensler colleague Jordan Goldstein, Mark, Scott and Joe’s idea—a dynamic space that ties the stadium to the campus and meshes the relationship between students and athletes—was realized through two courses. The first, an anthropology course in the fall semester, was an ethnographic research effort into student and athlete perceptions of sports and campus life. In the spring semester, architecture students took the ethnographic information and held three stakeholder meetings to identify the programmatic needs, as well as the key concerns of the athletic department. The students then translated the data into design solutions, creating two campus concepts that link the two halves of campus: the “bridge,” an urban promenade sandwiched between north/south plazas, and “the mall,” a linear, multi-use green space that terminates into the baseball stadium.
The priority of both concepts is to forge new pathways between the north and south part of campus. While a major pedestrian corridor, the current route is a veritable no-man’s land, offering no sense of place or cohesiveness. The two schemes mitigate this disconnect between the north campus dormitories and the south campus academic buildings—leveraging the stadium as its heart—and employing functional gathering spaces, academic and residential buildings to transform the space into a place making, University amenity.
“To have the research from anthropology that allowed us to gain access to the user experience was integral to developing a design that creates connection,” said Jordan Goldstein. “I think that the two directions—the bridge and the mall—are two viable ways to not only stitch together both sides of campus, but to create a new center of campus that’s interesting during practice and game day, but during a non-game day as well.”
Aside from improving campus connectivity, one of the biggest challenges—and opportunities—for the architecture students was designing the space for year-round use, not just baseball season. This involved exploring other possible functions highlighted in the anthropology research—outdoor study spaces, university events, and venues for social events, such as tailgating—and integrating design features in the schemes to support them. The linear green space in the four “mall” concepts provides natural venues for campus events and socialization. The “bridge” schemes leverage the valley between north and south campus to provide a physical bridge over service roads that creates outdoor spaces for studying, relaxing and meeting with friends.
The “heart” of all eight plans was the stadium itself; each scheme leveraged design elements—from light and accessibility to unique spaces—to improve fan/athlete connections and to nurture the love of the game.
“I think one of the most important things these schemes accomplish is that they present aspects of the student athlete’s experience in the stadium—their everyday experience—and joins it with the campus experience for the typical student,” said Dean David Cronrath, who also participated in the studio. “It gives those walking by the stadium a broader sense of what student athletes are doing year-round, by opening the activities up to the pathways students are taking through campus. The design strategies make sure the stadium is integrated into the life of campus by surrounding it with residential dormitories and new academic buildings. I think that is very important when we talk about student athletes, and not separating athletics and academics as contradictory or diametrically opposed. Through these designs we can see, experience and appreciate the incredible effort it takes for athletes to hone their skills, just as their peers make incredible effort to hone the skills within their own disciplines; this promotes a meaningful connection that goes beyond physical proximity.”
What the students brought to the table goes well beyond athletics,” said Josh Kaplan, Associate AD for Terp Facilities, Operations and Events. “The concepts offer a meaningful connection between resident life, recreation, athletics and academics. We wanted something that offers a great place for students to come and play and that engages them on many different levels; a place where, over time, they may also want to catch a ball game. The added bonus is that the students also provided a plan that connects the university more holistically and synergistically.”