Andrew Kelly with DLR Group talks with Shield Lockers about the impact of COVID-19 on sports architecture

What’s waiting for sports venues and athletic facilities on the other side of this pandemic? There’s a lot of speculation and ideas gaining momentum as to where design could or should go as we begin to emerge from this complex crisis.

Shield Lockers recently had a conversation on this topic with Andrew Kelly, Sector Design Leader for Sports at DLR Group. Kelly oversees a team of twenty-five architects between DLR Group’s Omaha and Kansas City offices, and he coordinates all of the sports design work within their group.

Here’s what Kelly has to say in response to the impact of COVID-19 on sports architecture.

Where we’re at now

“These times have just been so fluid,” says Kelly. “In the last four months, it feels like things have changed daily. We’ve been actively looking at how to approach football this fall and speaking with various Division I conferences about it. We recently spoke with an NCAA Division I conference and every single team had a different set of issues based on how their buildings work. There’s not a one size fits all solution. We’re also finding that clients are looking at ways to potentially limit the amount of capital investment while still operating the venue in a safe manner. Construction doesn’t have to be the solution. There are many ways to alter these unique venues in different ways so that they’re not investing a lot of money into things that may only last a season.”

Most sports, if they’re not cancelled entirely, will need to take a phased approach to restrictions on live event attendance. “The CDC has posted guidelines on social distancing and filling stadiums. We’re changing the dynamics of a stadium and how they’re used. Our goal is to leverage our thought leadership on the topic and help implement these evidence-based best practice guidelines for design. We’re taking each individual venue and talking to the operators to discover their unique goals. Let’s look at it, let’s talk about it, and let’s come up with an action plan. Sports are a luxury. If people don’t feel safe, they’re not coming back. so ultimately the goal is to safely get people back into the stands and enjoying sports again.”

The impact of COVID-19 on sports facilities design

There are a number of different solutions that Kelly is working through to help support this phased reintroduction to live sporting events and creating healthier athletic environments. “We are reimagining how we can maintain a positive fan experience while improving safety and supporting important revenue-generating interactions throughout these venues,” says Kelly. “We’re also seeing some interesting design shifts inside of the locker room as well.”

Inside the venue

Occupancy is one of the most significant factors impacting revenue. “When you introduce fans into the equation, that’s where buildings become a real dynamic challenge,” says Kelly. “Within the CDC’s established six-foot-radius rule, a 16-18% occupancy is pretty easy to do within those guidelines, but you’re talking about significantly limiting the amount of fans in attendance. One of the simplest solutions would be staggering how and when people are admitted into the venue, and then creating circulation changes that supports a now-and-next mindset. Any solution also needs to consider ramping up to 50% capacity, and then even full capacity when the guidelines become less restrictive.”

“Traffic flows and patterns are an important factor that could help limit the amount of social crossings and interactions,” says Kelly. “How do we optimize the ins and outs of something as simple as using restroom facilities? How do you help guide fans inside the concourse who are purchasing food, beverages, and souvenirs? The latter is an especially important revenue factor for teams, and at the same time we don’t want to degrade the fan experience. Digital, app-based ordering procedures are an option that could help reduce the amount of traffic in the concourse while improving the fan experience. Fans could purchase these things right from their seats and get a notification when they’re ready for pickup at a predetermined location in the concourse where they have a clear path to retrieve them.”

“Everything is so fluid right now though because things are constantly changing,” says Kelly. “States are opening and some are not. Some are more restrictive than others. Some of our clients have older stadiums that may have only one concourse setup. You could potentially have fifty-thousand people using this single concourse, which makes managing traffic flow and helping people feel more comfortable an even greater challenge. Every city, every state, and even individual universities have different rules so there isn’t a one size fits all solution. It’s a listening opportunity for us to help start the process and really provide unique value to the client driven by principled expertise within local, regional, and even federal guidelines.”

Inside the locker room and recovery environments

“Even before the COVID epidemic, our clients were asking for things to be more medical-grade,” says Kelly. “I’ve had three conversations with three different clients who want everything to be medical grade, and that’s typically originating from the sports medicine staff. That’s great because it helps dictate how we design to an extent, and we can engage our healthcare studio experts to help drive that design.”

Looking inside of athletic locker rooms, some of the dirtiest areas of the facility, the goal is providing healthier recovery environments for athletes. “We’ve been looking at acrylic solid surface lockers for a long time now and trying to get away from wood or wood laminates. Solid surface is a standard specification in healthcare – they get it. I think it’s critically important. Teams are starting to use medical-grade disinfectants in the locker rooms to disinfect surfaces and most traditional materials can’t hold up to them. Consider other recovery support spaces for athletes like hydrotherapy rooms. The high moisture content and chlorine degrades wood-based materials and even metals so quickly. Medical-grade standards are known for better quality of construction and better performance over time. If teams control the cost of equipment over time then they can use that money to help take care of their athletes at a higher level. Superior performance aside, we’re able to bring a more sleek and modern aesthetic into the locker room that exceeds the clients design goals.”

“Ultra-violet light disinfection is another emerging medical-grade trend that could help create a healthier environments starting with the conditioned air we breathe,” says Kelly. “Upgrading HVAC systems for the entire building that incorporate UV light disinfection components could help circulate cleaner, more sanitary air. At a minimum, bringing in more fresh air and cycling it more often throughout the building helps prevent interior air from becoming stagnant. These are very viable solutions that are important, but they do have a cost. It’s important to understand early on where and how our clients can invest to create a healthy and safe building.”

Learn more about DLR Group’s sports design expertise.

Have you seen the best practice recommendations from the American Society of Health Care Engineering (ASHE) for using the health care physical environment to prevent and control infection? Our healthcare segment talks about key recommendations from the guide on selecting and disinfecting surfaces and furniture, and how acrylic solid surface design supports cleanability in any setting.