The University expects to open its indoor turf facility for the spring 2026 athletics season, it announced in a press release last week. The project, which will begin construction this summer, will be designed by the Boston-based architecture firm Sasaki.
The University first announced plans for the indoor field in June. Featuring a 52,000-square-foot turf surface and equipment spaces, the building aims to increase practice space for varsity teams and increase student participation in intramural and recreational sports, according to the release. The facility will be located behind the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center, replacing the University’s current outdoor practice space, Meister-Kavan Field.
“This building will serve as a dynamic, in-demand space that provides an opportunity for varsity sports training, club and intramural sports as well as general recreation,” Vice President for Athletics and Recreation Grace Calhoun ’92 P’26 said in last week’s press release. “Not only will it strengthen our teams’ ability to train and compete at the highest level, it will also support our goal of making physical fitness a critical factor in every Brown community member’s experience.”
In April, Calhoun announced athletic infrastructure and broader participation as two primary goals in the Division of Athletics and Recreation Strategic Plan.
According to the press release, the new facility will allow for new intramural sports programming that could “more than double the number of student participants to in excess of 3,000.”
The turf facility will also allow varsity teams to practice year-round regardless of weather conditions. The school’s current outdoor-only turf creates a “competitive disadvantage” compared to schools with indoor facilities, the press release says.
Sasaki has previously worked on several university architecture and land use projects, including an engineering center for the University of Lima, a three-dormitory complex for Lehigh University and a campus master plan for the University of California at Berkeley.
“One of the most essential criteria in finding the right partner was success in designing active indoor athletics facilities on other campuses,” University Architect and Professor of the Practice of History of Art and Architecture Craig Barton ’78 said in the press release. “Sasaki brings deep expertise in collegiate athletics projects and directly relevant experience creating indoor facilities that provide effective training spaces for student-athletes and recreational users throughout the year.”
Given its location at the back of the University’s athletic complex, a priority in moving practice space indoors is to limit noise and disruptions to the nearby residential neighborhood.
The new practice facility will not have designed space for spectators, and University officials therefore “anticipate no increase in traffic or parking congestion,” the press release reads.
Neil Mehta is the editor-in-chief and president of the Brown Daily Herald's 134th editorial board. They study public health and statistics at Brown. Outside the office, you can find Neil baking and playing Tetris.
