Brooks + Scarpa wrap sports complex in concrete shell

California-based architectural studio Brooks + Scarpa’s Field House at Pompano Beach's Youth Sports Complex has been wrapped in a concrete shell designed to "make a spectacle of rainfall".

Set in a new 2.4 ha park, the 380-square-metre pavilion consists of a concession window, offices, restrooms, and equipment storage.

The outdoor porch acts as an outdoor living room – for play in the shade, social interaction, and seating for athletes to rest or spectators to watch.

The folding roof allows for the porch and interior spaces to harvest breezes from the East. 

Consisting of a glass building wrapped in a “board-formed” concrete shell that protects the internal glass structure, the Field House’s design is described as "playful and sculptural" by Brooks + Scarpa.

“The Youth Sports Complex uses materials and colours, in such a way that it complements the Centennial Park Pavilion. The project has been designed to allow for later expansion, where multi-purpose spaces will build out the porch area” said the studio.

The roof slopes gently down towards a central point where water is collected and used in an adjacent rain garden.

"The roof is sloped in a way to make a spectacle of rainfall from the scupper," said Brooks + Scarpa. "The rain cascades from the roof into a rain garden where the water is infiltrated back into the aquifer."