Fieldhouse Addition at Hononegah Community High School

The Addition at Hononegah Community High School is a testament to the strength and resilience of its community. Following the collapse of their sports dome in an ice storm, the residents rallied. A referendum was approved to replace the resource with a 94,000 SF addition.

The addition is a focal point to the public, and the school’s brand is integrated throughout. Visitors arrive through a gated entrance plaza, which is a ticket area for both the stadium and Field House. Inside, the vibrant color scheme and graphics that reinforce school spirit, are tempered by natural finishes such as wood and polished concrete.

One challenge was to maximize program space in the limited footprint occupied by the dome, which many community organizations used for events, craft fairs, business expos, and children’s summer camps. Locals walked the track before and after school hours. When the dome collapsed, these organizations had no other options for their functions in the rural community. The space and flexibility to meet these needs were designed into the project. The lighting, audio/visual systems, scoreboards, LED monitor, and acoustics were designed to support the many sizes and types of functions that will be held in the Field House.

The Field House has a 200-Meter track plus pole vault, long jump, high jump, and shot put. With seating for 2,500 spectators, the Field House will host IHSA basketball, volleyball, badminton and tennis events on the competition wood court and three synthetic flooring practice courts. There are two batting cages.

The second floor Fitness Center overlooks the Field House and Outdoor Stadium. In addition to exercise and weight training equipment, it includes a multi-lane, synthetic turf field for strength and agility training. Designed with flexibility in mind, the Multi-Purpose Room expands the fitness area when the overhead doors are open.

The court scoreboards talk to the 8’x14’ LED monitor near the flag, which is linked to video cameras.
The Field House seats 2,500. For further flexibility, 6 portable bleachers and a wood floor protection system were also specified.
Printed, laminated glass withstands the impact of athletic equipment, brings in natural light, and showcases school pride.
The Fitness Center and Multi-purpose Room both view the stadium; alumni will have access to the multi-purpose room for events.
The “History Wall" feature tells the story of the 96-year-old school. For this, the school and community donated thousands of hours choosing historic photographs from yearbooks and other sources. The result is visitors of all ages linger, looking for friends and family in the murals.
Folks can linger in the Lobby, watching the events on one of two monitors tied to the buildings AV system.
The Fitness Center overlooks the Field House and the Stadium.
The Fitness Center and Multi-Purpose Room are outfitted for athletes to leverage their own body weight using ropes and webbing.
Visitors arrive through a gated entrance plaza, that serves as a ticket area for both the Stadium and Field House.
The main structure and envelope are precast panels. This was special because the school happens to be located 5 miles from a major Midwest precast supplier. This opportunity not only met the budget but also supported a major local industry, which is the employer of many Alums. Inlaid brick in precast panels bring down the scale and match the addition to the existing school.
North Elevation: The rural community lacked a large event space. It is now a prominent fixture and source of pride.
Both rooms are outfitted with the latest technology of projectors, screen, and LED monitors for teaching in the spaces.
The environmental graphics, many of which are obscured because they identify the school, humanize the scale.

DLA provided a video animation for the community to preview the project.

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