University of Oregon, Jane Sanders Stadium

The new Jane Sanders Softball Complex at the University of Oregon in Eugene was a much-needed addition to the school’s athletic complex. Funded by a donation from alum Bob Sanders in honor of his late wife, it helped fill a need for more women’s-specific sports facilities.

The design team was tasked with accommodating a large program consisting of three integral facilities: 1) a partially covered stadium with concessions, restrooms, a press-box, and ticketing; 2) an indoor player development building, housing a full-size infield and throwing lanes; and 3) a team building, housing office space, locker rooms, coach’s headquarters, and meeting rooms. All were to be housed on the small existing site and needed to be “iconic” in nature, both to fit in with other facilities on campus and to highlight the standout quality of women’s softball at U of O.

From the beginning, the goal was to maintain slim, sleek lines at the concourse roof, with minimal structure below in order to maintain sight lines and make the roof appear to “float.” Given the 50+ foot spans and 20-foot cantilevers required to achieve this, it was decided early the roof would be steel. Often compared to a paper airplane, stealth bomber, or duck wing, the overall roof shape was designed to cover a portion of the seating and concourse area while exhibiting intimidating imagery to the opposing team when viewed from the field. This iconic canopy, whose soffit is clad with custom plywood panels cut into the shape of home plates, has become a symbol of Oregon’s innovative softball program.

The finished complex includes a 1500-seat stadium with stands built on-grade and bullpens at each end, an 8100sf, single-story player development building, and a 14,800sf, 2-story team building. In addition to LEED Gold, the building meets UO’s aggressive Oregon Model for Sustainable Development, with an energy reduction of 35% over Oregon Energy Code, and reduces water usage by 37%. Other sustainable features include turf with low irrigation and maintenance requirements, prismatic skylights that conserve energy and emulate outdoor conditions, and a prefab system stadium bowl made of high recycled content that can be deconstructed and recycled again at the end of its life.