By Frank Andr茅, AIA, LEED AP

In recent decades, professional sports development has shifted toward transforming underutilized land around stadiums into mixed-use entertainment districts. Projects like Ballpark Village in St. Louis and the Half Street Corridor in Washington illustrate how these developments extend the fan experience beyond game day while creating connected, year-round neighborhoods. By integrating retail, hospitality, residential and event programming, they generate sustained revenue and strengthen ties to the surrounding urban fabric.

Universities, on the other hand, have traditionally relied on more limited revenue streams: ticket sales, concessions, sponsorships and media rights concentrated around game day. With the introduction of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rules, which now direct a share of revenue to athletes, institutions face increasing pressure to diversify income. In response, many are turning to their own athletic districts, adapting strategies pioneered in professional sports development.

The Possibilities in Public-Private Partnerships

A key lesson lies in deal structure. Public universities often control significant land holdings around stadiums and benefit from large, loyal fan bases. However, they typically lack both the capital and the specialized development expertise to fully realize these assets. Through public-private partnerships (P3), institutions partner with developers that are experienced in entertainment retail, hospitality, housing and event venues. These P3 models allow universities to leverage long-term ground leases and brand value while shifting development risk and capital investment to private partners.

Purposeful Programming

While university-anchored districts share core principles with their professional counterparts, critical differences in governance, funding, and campus context ultimately shape how these environments are designed and programmed.

Designing successful university-anchored sports districts begins with a careful balance of programming. Unlike professional baseball, where teams host more than 80 home games a season, college football programs typically play just six or seven home games. The result is fewer peak moments and less consistent spillover into surrounding neighborhoods. These districts must therefore operate as destinations in their own right; active year-round, not just on game day.

Flexibility is key. Restaurants, for example, often carry subtle university branding but must stand on their own with distinctive concepts that appeal to both fans and locals. Outdoor spaces are equally adaptable: a central plaza might function as a casual recreation space or outdoor dining during the week but transform into a concert venue or event hub on game days and beyond. Residential and hospitality components also take on a unique role, with premium units oriented toward stadium views and VIP game-day access. Condominiums designed for dedicated fans and super-boosters can generate significant upfront capital, while also extending dwell time and deepening engagement with the district.

These dynamics are amplified at major programs, particularly among the Power Four conferences, where football crowds can exceed 100,000 attendees. The scale of these fan bases reinforces the need for environments that can expand and contract seamlessly, accommodating surges in activity while remaining vibrant at smaller scales.

Sponsorship and branding strategies also diverge from the professional model. While large-scale signage and digital media are central to revenue generation in pro sports districts, universities often take a more restrained approach. Instead, activation is driven through programming: youth camps, recruiting events, academic conferences, and media production tied to NIL initiatives and other creative event programming all contribute to a steady cadence of use. These layers of activity create a different kind of energy 鈥� less overtly commercial, but equally vital.

Developing a Design Identity

From a design perspective, the challenge is both familiar and highly specific. Many of these sites lack historic context, sitting adjacent to large, inward-focused stadiums. At the same time, they are shaped by overlapping campus and municipal guidelines and must serve a wide spectrum of users 鈥� from students and faculty to alumni, donors and local residents. Successful solutions balance these demands while grounding the project in authentic institutional and regional identity.

At the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, a site just south of Neyland Stadium presented a telling example. While the stadium dominates the immediate context, the site also opens to sweeping views of the Tennessee River to the south. The design response drew from campus design standards 鈥� materials, proportions and detailing 鈥� while referencing the industrial and mercantile heritage that once lined the riverfront. This dual approach anchored the development in both university tradition and local history, allowing taller elements, such as a condotel tower, to adopt a more contemporary expression while remaining visually tied to a lower-scale, contextually rooted base.

Ultimately, these districts succeed when design storytelling is embedded at every level. Architecture, interiors, landscape, branding, and programming must all work together to reflect the traditions, rituals and character of the school, while resonating with the broader region. Given the diversity of users, from high-end condominium owners to fans gathering before and after the game, this narrative must be both cohesive and flexible. Achieving that balance requires close collaboration across disciplines, ensuring that the district evolves into a place that feels authentic, active and enduring well beyond the stadium gates.

Frank Andr茅, AIA, LEED AP, is Principal and Design Leader at HCM.

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. 鈥� A retrofit project at the Facilities Services Complex at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville was recently recognized by American School & University (AS&U) and awarded its prestigious Collegiate Citation.

The former marble processing plant was built in 1908 and transformed into a showcase complex, earning the University of Tennessee the honor and Kalwall another award-winning design to its portfolio.

Kalwall is based in Manchester, N.H. and is known for creating high-performance translucent building systems, diffuse natural lighting systems, and its innovative, energy-efficient and sustainable designs.

The Facilities Services Complex at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville was named the Collegiate Citation winner for historic preservation in AS&U鈥檚 annual Educational Interiors Showcase (EIS). The project was featured on the cover of this year鈥檚 AS&U Magazine鈥檚 EIS awards edition. The annual showcase honors the best in educational design.

Kalwall translucent sandwich panels were fitted into the original clerestory encircling the central hall and flooding the open concept work space in natural diffuse daylight. In addition to a series of warehouses and workshops, there is a computer training lab, employee break area offices and conference rooms.

The jury praised the design for its 鈥渇abulous reuse and conservation of available space. The open, collaborative environment will support the mission of the university.鈥�

The 91,000-square foot project, which cost $18.7 million, was designed by Cope Associates, Inc. and built by Johnson & Graylon Construction, both of Knoxville, Tenn.

The project was built to LEED silver criteria. Kalwall systems reduce maintenance and energy costs, becoming a preferred element of many retrofit projects where old facades need to be replaced and upgraded, and energy-efficiency is a priority.

About Kalwall

Kalwall庐 is the industry leader for diffuse natural lighting systems and is recognized for its innovative, energy efficient and sustainable designs. Its rugged and beautiful translucent building products provide a more predictable, better quality of usable natural light, with superior thermal properties and best-in-industry solar heat gain control. Kalwall was founded in 1955, is headquartered in Manchester, N.H., and all products are made in the USA. For more information, visit .听听听听听听听听

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Given by AssetWorks, the Wayne, Pa.-based developer of the SFD’s AiM Facilities Management Software, the award recognizes “the highest degree of efficiency, productivity and service delivery” in utilizing the AiM system. Those responsible for overseeing AiM at SFD include Planning Administrator Stan Hobbs, AiM Administrator Jerimi Revell and AiM Assistant John Meena.

Agency Director, Bill Panos, praised the three for their hard work and continued commitment to service excellence. “The State of Wyoming and the SFD are fortunate to have talented and committed people like you,” Panos said in a statement. “Thank you for all your hard work to make our department the best it can be.”

Established in 2002, the SFD aims to provide Wyoming students with quality educational facilities. In collaboration with the state’s School Facilities Commission and the Legislature, the SFD assists with the planning, assessment, financing, construction and maintenance of Wyoming’s K-12 schools.

The SFD has also been busy establishing new schools across the state. On March 10 Panos announced the ground breaking for a new elementary school, Sundance Elementary, in Crook County. The 46,000-square-foot school will serve grades K-6 and was designed by Sandstrom Architecture with offices in Orem, Utah and Denver.

A month later the SFD announced preliminary construction on two additional schools. A new 51,300-square-foot elementary school in Ranchester — designed by Rock Springs-based Plan One Architects — will serve 365 K-5 students. Construction also began on a 502-student high school in Rawlins, designed by Celina, Ohio-headquartered Fanning Howey.

Also in March, the SFD celebrated the grand opening of Black Butte High School in Rock Springs, a 100-student alternative high school that spans more than 20,000 square feet and was also designed by Plan One Architects.

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