The National Basketball Association’s (NBA) San Antonio Spurs sought to construct a new practice facility to better accommodate their needs as an NBA championship team. The organization wanted a larger and more holistic facility to provide world-class training spaces and amenities for its athletes and coaches, unify its basketball and front office operations into one building, and maintain strong ties to fans and the San Antonio community.

Arup, in collaboration with ZGF Architects, helped bring the new Spurs practice facility to life, providing structural, mechanical, electrical, and public health engineering services, as well as lighting, acoustics, audio-visual, and information technology and communications (ITC) consulting services.

The new facility is dedicated to player performance, integrating critical needs for the Spurs team and staff into each aspect of the facility, and providing better opportunities for attracting, developing, and retaining talent. The design places sustainability and wellness at the forefront, rising to the challenge of the team’s ambitious goals. 

Embedding sustainability and energy efficiency

Aiming to meet the Spurs sustainability goals, the Victory Capital Performance Center was designed to utilize a large amount of mass timber, a decision in which Arup played a vital role. Mass timber is increasing in popularity as a sustainable building material and carries a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to many other construction materials. Throughout the structural design process, the team analyzed several different schemes, ultimately guiding the final design to employ mass timber efficiently.

Arup also emphasized energy efficiency within sequences of operation, implementing strategies outlined in ASHRAE Guideline 36 – Best in Class HVAC Control Sequences. As part of the implementation, our team incorporated a “smart” variable air volume system that serves most of the administrative zones. The system contributes a continuous re-set of supply air temperature, pressure, and outside air flow rates based on activity in thermostatic zones. Air flow is reduced in unoccupied zones, which also works to reduce energy consumption.

Additionally, the facility utilizes rainwater harvesting to water the landscaping, which contributes to conserving water.

Championing an innovative mass timber roof design

The design incorporates a mass timber roof, highlighting the prioritization of sustainability and innovation. To achieve clean sight lines and create a column-free gym that accommodates two full-sized basketball courts, the long-span timber roof is made of 20 130-foot-long, 75-inch-deep glue-laminated (glulam) beams, which are the largest continuous glulam beams currently available on the market. The abundant use of mass timber makes the project the largest mass timber training facility in the entirety of American professional sports, as well as the largest mass timber construction in the state of Texas as of its completion.

The design also ensured a clean look of cross laminated timber (CLT) overhead above the courts. To optimize spans for use of CLT, the roof is supported by double columns and double beams. The space between double beams provides an opportunity to conceal lighting, fire sprinkler, and roof drainage pipe systems. Arup also integrated an energy-efficient overhead displacement ventilation system to minimize exposed ductwork and incorporated an acoustical treatment on the upper walls to avoid covering the CLT roof panels.  

Ensuring athlete comfort

The facility encompasses a mix of unique, energy intensive spaces, including aquatics, practice courts, strength and conditioning facilities, and environmental training. Arup utilized a unique, overhead displacement ventilation system to serve the practice courts and strength and conditioning spaces. The system provides cool air to the zone perimeters via large plenums, mostly located behind high level wall diffusers and architectural finishes. Cool supply air sinks to fill the occupied zone, while warmed, used air rises and collects high-level heat loads (lights, solar, etc.) before returning to the air handler. Additionally, heat loss through perimeter glass walls is combated with the use of fin-tube convection heating systems that wash the ceiling with warm air, which keeps the floor warm via radiation. These systems work together to minimize energy use and cost while maintaining comfortable conditions and a temperature and humidity range required by the wood court floor. Our team conducted computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses to confirm this outcome.

As the court is located on an elevated slab above a parking garage, the Arup team also analyzed the floor structure and located the columns below to avoid undesirable vibration. Doing so works to ensure optimized performance for the court above.

Arup’s lighting design provides additional benefits, utilizing tuneable circadian lighting in player areas to improve mental and metabolic function and regulate energy levels. Exposed timber construction has also been shown to have many wellness benefits for building occupants including reduced stress, better mood, and improved focus.

Aiming to meet the Spurs’ sustainability goals, the Victory Capital Performance Center was designed to utilize a large amount of mass timber. © Dror Baldinger

The facility encompasses a mix of unique, energy intensive spaces, including aquatics, practice courts, strength and conditioning facilities, and environmental training. © Dror Baldinger