Storm Takes Cover in State-of-the-Art Facility

Force 10 Enterprises aims to convert an empty lot into a new state-of-the-art practice facility for the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and youth-focused center for basketball skill development. The two-story complex will contain practice courts, front office space, a player’s campus with aquatic/hydrotherapy elements as well as locker and team rooms. Fired up by Seattle Storm’s greater equity goals, the design team was passionate about creating a space for women, designed by women. Holmes was excited to meet this challenge by fielding an all women team of highly technical and collaborative structural and fire engineers.

The new practice facility targets high sustainability goals, in the same spirit of the Storm’s recently completed home court, Climate Pledge Arena. The design team evaluated several structural systems, including mass timber alternates and traditional framing systems, to find a solution that met both sustainability and budget goals. The embodied carbon of each system was considered in the evaluation of alternate structural systems. Ultimately, the team settled on a tilt-up structural solution which will utilize low carbon concrete mixes that meet aesthetic and strength requirements. The tilt-up concrete will remain exposed on the interior of the practice courts, elevated by Seattle-themed imagery while leaning into the industrial aesthetic of the surrounding areas.

Holmes’ expertise in long-span structural systems has proven to be integral in the design of the practice courts. This system will allow continuity between courts, while supporting the solar panels above.

The Holmes fire engineering team will be key in leading the navigation of local codes to ensure the space is able to support assembly occupancy. With various built, under construction, and in-design projects in the city of Seattle, the Holmes team is well-versed in the city’s processes and can quickly navigate permitting.