Saving on the field

Harvard University Soccer Stadium at Soldiers Field

Harvard University’s Allston Development is an ambitious 10-year plan that’s had some starts and stops. A few years ago, phase 1 of the athletic portion was to design a new soccer stadium. Unfortunately, the plan as a whole needed to be put on hold. But the soccer stadium was still a go.

So, with a considerably reduced budget, we were brought in to make that happen. It was quite the challenge.

Our sport group, working in close collaboration with Harvard Athletics, tackled that challenge by taking stock of all of the plan’s original sustainable directives. Then we determined which actually saved money or, at the very least, didn’t add to the cost.

First, we kept all of the existing soil on site, eliminating the cost of export trucking. Second, we developed a design with berms on all four sides of the field. These berms turned a project requirement into an asset, creating an outdoor stadium field without added expense while at the same time surrounding the field with great spectator options.

This field kicks off the new Harvard presence in Allston, and over the next couple of years, it’ll just get better.