Construction has begun on The Richard and Helen DeVos Fieldhouse at Hope College, Holland, Mich. It is scheduled to be completed for the 2005-06 school year.
The 102,000-square-foot fieldhouse will house the college's department of kinesiology, as well as the school's athletic training program. It will serve as home court for the college's volleyball and basketball teams. Designed to seat about 3,400 fans, it also will serve as a venue for other college and community events.
“The vision for the project is to create a building within a park — a thoughtfully planned and carefully executed marriage of building and site,” says James Bultman, president of Hope College.
The fieldhouse is part of an evolving eastern gateway entrance to the community. Arches and pillars that demonstrate strength and sophistication are featured in the design and blend with the existing campus.
The Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation contributed a $7.5 million anchor gift to the project.
Ellerbe Becket (Kansas City, Mo.) is providing architecture, interior design, mechanical, electrical and structural engineering, and landscape architecture services. Progressive AE (Grand Rapids, Mich.) also is providing architectural and engineering services.
