WestEast Design Group developed a new multipurpose Event Hall and athletics Fieldhouse to support and enhance programming at the existing Wheatley Heights Sports Complex in east San Antonio. The design concept includes three outdoor plazas:  a gatehouse plaza providing drop-off lanes along the primary entrance to the stadium facility, a corner plaza providing event overflow between the event space and outdoor amphitheater; and a service plaza providing direct access to the hospitality suite, staging area, and stadium locker rooms. The Event Hall includes a 380-capacity dual event space, staging area, and storage rooms; public restrooms, a hospitality suite, and private office; housekeeping and electrical rooms.   Its circulation corridor opens directly across from overflow restrooms at the Fieldhouse, which also includes (4) team locker rooms, briefing areas, showers, housekeeping, and a mechanical yard serving the entire facility.

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WestEast provided Stakeholder Engagement, Planning and Programing, Design and Cost Estimation, Bidding and Permitting, and Construction Administration services throughout the entire development cycle. This project included unique challenges in guiding stakeholders to define the scope and program which best served their long-term needs within a fixed budget.  WestEast were privileged to work civic and community leadership from City of San Antonio Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and the Eastside Christian Action Group, a non-profit organization instrumental in providing the guiding vision for the Wheatley Heights Sports Complex. Completing design just before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the construction industry, WestEast mustered an agile approach to scoping, phasing, detailing, and specification in response rapidly-changing resource availability throughout Construction.

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The new Event Hall and Fieldhouse embrace the existing Wheatley Heights Sports Complex and expand its program to overwhelming community response.  The renewed facility enjoys enthusiastic community engagement and outreach integral to vibrant east San Antonio culture. The new Event Hall facilitates private functions, public events, and outdoor festivals in conjunction with adjacent Martin Luther King Park, Salado Creek Greenway, and Parks and Recreation initiatives across greater San Antonio.  The new Fieldhouse affords the Stadium hosting local athletics programs, regional tournaments, and remote training facilities ranging from youth to collegiate sports.

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