A Balancing Act
The OAC’s design sought to
thread the needle and take the
best characteristics on each side.
Where conflicts existed, priority
was devoted to balancing the two,
leading to a better overall result.
Below are examples of operational challenges that needed to
be taken into consideration.
Climbing Center Focus
• Prioritize route-setting
• Maximize social space
• Innovatively combine technical
teaching elements
• Climbing hold investment
annual expenses are set aside
to continually invest in new
holds, allowing for the ability
to retire holds as they age
• Planning for route-setting
budget incorporates expenses
to fund turnover of routes and
boulder problems
• Front-line staff seen as the critical component in effective risk
management.
• Staff are seen as the conduit of
culture.
Architectural Feature Focus
• ”Wow” factor that serves as a
fixture on campus tours, often
at the expense of programming
• Streamlined operations &
maintenance line.
• At best, facility might require
annual maintenance and/or
cleaning.
• Staff are present to grant entry
and ensure policy compliance.
stakeholders support its existence?
The response to this question can
be quite nuanced, but the vision
it casts can ultimately define the
space’s ethos, which will largely
define the potential interest in and
users of your facility.
Potential answers to “why?” can
fall somewhere along a spectrum.
On one side, the space is seen as
an architectural fixture, a component of a facility used to draw
attention or make a statement. On
the other end of the spectrum is a
climbing center, where purposeful
thought is devoted to facilitating
connections between climbers to
their larger community, and ultimately retaining active climbers.
Construction
Phase
“Blueprints serve as a poor medium to
convey context. The programmer must
ensure that the facility’s vision translates from the sales and design teams to
the crew of welders on site.”
Establishing a
solid and objective vision for the
space is critical in
design and operation. However, it
is easy to overlook the challenge
that awaits in the construction
phase. The sheer number of individuals, offices, and stakeholders
involved grows dramatically once
designs are approved.
The complexity of communication grows exponentially, and an
undefined vision for the project
will add a layer of challenge as
hopes for the space get drafted
into 2-D engineered drawings. Blueprints serve as a poor
medium to convey context. The
programmer must ensure that the
facility’s vision translates from
the sales and design tea