Louis Armstrong Stadium
New York City, New York
Jon Disbrow was the Design Lead and Principal for this project while with ROSSETTI.
Location: New York City, New York
Area: 14,000 seats / 280,000 sq ft
Type: Sports Architecture
Status: Built
Photography: Rafael Gamo
Architect of Record: ROSSETTI
Awards
2020 ACEC — Diamond Award
2019 UNESCO Prix Versailles — Special prize for an Interior
2019 Architects Newspaper — AN Best of Design
2019 AIA Detroit — Building Award
Designed to express its function of maximizing airflow through the bowl while keeping rain off spectators and the playing court, Armstrong Stadium is the first naturally ventilated tennis stadium with a retractable roof and the last piece of a 10-year Master Plan that re-imagined the entire Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
In addition to the environmentally innovative design, the 14,000-seat/280,000sf stadium is one of the most intimate fan experiences in Grand Slam Tennis.
“Tennis is an outdoor sport.” That statement by the USTA led to the primary organizing idea: an enclosed stadium with an operable roof that is an outdoor space, even when the roof is closed. Given the budgetary constraints, the design approach reexamines the nature of the event to look for opportunities.
Because the US Open Tennis Championships happen over the same two-week period each year, the stadium was designed for that specific window of time. Rather than building walls around the perimeter to contain conditioned air, the design solution encourages airflow under the roof to control condensation on the steel and to keep fans comfortable. That creative thinking led to an environmentally driven facility that costs less to build and operate but still performs at the highest championship levels in professional tennis.
Armstrong Stadium epitomizes sustainable creativity and complex problem-solving. The new stadium has effectively eliminated weather-related delays at that venue, allowing the US Open to avoid costly interruptions in broadcasting that is televised worldwide.
The stadium design also set a global example for other professional sports organizations to invest in more environmentally responsible facilities and shows that eco-friendly design solutions don’t need to cost more than conventional facilities.
Design Features:
Perforated lower seating bowl allows air to pass through underground pathways to court-level seating
Concourse levels are open to maximize airflow into the stadium from all sides and into the spectator areas
Bespoke terra cotta louvers (contextual nod to the masonry buildings on campus) allow airflow through the upper part of the building while shading spectators from the sun and protecting them from rain
Rainscreen façades are “collaged” to create a variegated tone-on-tone composition of rectangular planes that follow a strict organizational logic
The roof acts like a canopy, providing protection from rain, shade from the sun, and spectator comfort
Rigorous computational fluid dynamic modeling, bulk airflow modeling, and wind tunnel tests were conducted to understand condensation and wind-driven rain and to ensure guest comfort.
No HVAC systems within the stadium bowl
