Upper Macungie Township Community Recreation Center

Designed in collaboration with Howard Kulp Architects, this community recreation center includes four interconnected buildings: an enclosed soccer field, two structures enclosing basketball courts, and an entrance/amenity building. The four buildings have a total gross floor area of approximately 188,000 sf.

The soccer field structure is the focal point of the complex, with a floor area of 130,000 sf. To meet the architect’s vision of an efficient but expressive and visually appealing structure, we designed hybrid glulam-steel portal frames that span 280 feet. The frame takes advantage of the compression strength of glulam by using it for the predominantly compression top chords and struts, while using steel for the predominantly tension bottom chords and webs. The geometry of the frames was optimized to respect inside clear heights, ensure adequate roof drainage, satisfy shipping constraints, facilitate on-site preassembly, and respect the capacity of mobile cranes to be used for erection.

The basketball court structures were designed with hybrid glulam-steel trusses spanning up to 140 feet, supported by a glulam frame. Similarly, the trusses were designed to meet the same objectives and constraints as the soccer field, ensuring a consistent structural language throughout the complex.