New Ulm High School Sports Complex
New Ulm, MN | Sports + Recreation
Overview
In continuing a long-term partnership with the New Ulm Public School District, ISG designed a versatile, 31-acre athletic complex to house the District’s various programming needs and complement its new high school.
Opportunity
As the District moved forward on the construction of their new high school, they needed athletic facilities that would accommodate a range of sports and programming activities.
Solution
Building from the site design of the new high school, ISG and the District partnered to begin exploring design opportunities for a sports complex at the new high school site. The massive complex incorporated synthetic turf soccer and football fields, baseball and softball practice and competition fields, tennis courts, track, and field events, as well as spectator facilities and the associated trails to connect each space. In addition to the field and facility design, ISG also lead the development of site and field lighting and power distribution across the complex.
Working closely with District staff, ISG used a contextual design approach to create spaces that would optimize facility use for athletes and spectators. For example, home bleachers were strategically placed on the side of the football field to shield home spectators from the sun and wind while attending afternoon and evening games. Other considerations, such as plans for mobile and future concession facilities at less central areas, were also incorporated into overall designs to ensure the complex could be flexible to accommodate the multiple programming opportunities on site.
The complex was constructed in phases to correlate with the construction of the high school and athletic seasons. The football field was completed in time for the 2017 season and all construction was completed the following spring.