Northwestern University Ryan Fieldhouse and Walter Athletics Center

Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, the state-of-the-art Ryan Fieldhouse and Walter Athletics Center provides training and wellness space and programming for more than 500 student-athletes. This multi-building complex relocates and consolidates practice, training and academic services for the majority of student-athletes on the main campus while aiding the school’s efforts to recruit top student-athletes across the country.

Northwestern University’s rich legacy of athletics and academics gets a bold new showcase through the branding and environmental graphics on display in the facility. Integrating graphics and visuals early in the design process allowed the building’s messaging to reflect and support Northwestern’s goals and culture at each stage of design.

Resulting graphics and branding infuse the building’s architecture with motion, depth and drama and add a sense of permanence and importance to the facility. Hallways throughout the building feature wall panels with black and white images of athletes accented with Northwestern’s trademark purple. Elsewhere the design incorporates custom patterns, angled wall reveals, bespoke ceiling treatments, one-of-a-kind uniform displays and internally illuminated wall details.

In addition to providing graphics and branding, HOK served as the building’s associate architect, with Perkins+Will serving as architect of record.