HOK, a global design and architecture firm, has a unique and focused vision for constructing the sports training facility of the future. The desire to take the next step in the realm of athletic training is an increased focus, present now more than ever, on the overall health of the athlete. Heightened concern over injury prevention, nutrition, rest and physical and mental wellness of the athlete act as a catalyst in driving this trend. Advances in medical research and technology are at the forefront of this futuristic vision, offering exciting prospects that will enable athletes to stay on the field and out of the doctor’s offices.
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I recently spoke with Nate Appleman, the Director of Sports + Recreation + Entertainment at HOK, and Randy Kray, the director of Science & Technology for the firm, to discuss how they envision the athletic training facility of the future.
As it stands today, HOK appears to be a natural choice to make the future of sports facilities a reality. The first step in enabling this vision occurred a little over a year ago, when HOK acquired 360 Architecture, a firm that is recognized as a leader in designing sports and recreation facilities. As Appleman noted, “…when we became HOK, our internal expertise was expanded to include sports facility construction in addition to science and technology. We now have robust health care expertise. Combining them, provides us the thought leadership required to push the model and be proactive. We can have a positive impact.”
This combination of industry experts is representative of another element that needs to transpire in order to make the future a reality. Before this athletic utopia can be achieved, bridging a relationship between athletic trainers and researchers is of absolute necessity. Randy Kray added that the future is “…so exciting because of how it impacts athletic research and the overall wellness of athletes. It’s an entirely differently equation when the trainer and scientist talk. In other health industries, when a practitioner has a collaborator it’s not just solving immediate problems but seeing the bigger picture and future opportunities. Having a researcher connected with actual cases enables increased focus and will help solve problems for the betterment of people. It’s a win-win for the trainer and researcher to combine on a joint effort, and will positively impact the future of athletics.”
After conversing with Appleman and Kray, it became apparent that the college campus is an ideal location to erect such facilities. As Mr. Appleman described to me, “…the university environment is designed and built for this effort to occur. They already have researchers in place. Everything needed is already there.”
This intel could lead one to wonder why these progressive measures have yet to be enacted. Appleman and Kray believe that once a single university has the adequate foresight to take the important first step of recognizing the value of integrating a training facility for student athletes with dedicated, industry-specific researchers, it will act as a domino effect and other universities will follow suit.
Appleman and Kray mentioned the futuristic facility will be comprised of doctors and trainers who will work in conjunction to discover optimal injury prevention methods as well as each and every opportunity to enhance the performance of student-athletes. A key step to consider would involve the implementation of personalized medicine, which is a field of medicine that requires a comprehensive understanding of genomics. New analytical skills will allow understanding of the best methodic and genetic levels to apply to therapies and would spawn the development of new data methods, pertaining to predictive medicine and training. The desired “predictable” aspect would lead to development of methods that would both help prevent injuries from occurring, and provide the best recovery methods for injuries already sustained.
Currently, student-athletes, coaches, trainers, doctors and researchers could improve their present state of collaboration methods. Coaches and athletic administrators, understandably, are protective of their athletes’ time. And college athletes are often approached to participate in research trials, but participation rates are quite low. They already have rigorous schedules, with classes and practices taking up most of their daily life.
However, it would be in the best interest of everyone involved to work in conjunction with one another. The beauty of this futuristic facility is that it would bring everything required into one, convenient, on-campus location. HOK’s model would create an environment where researchers, trainers, coaches and student-athletes work together to target the aim of the research. Specific problems and injuries could be studied and subsequently addressed.
As for what the building will look like and include, it would be a structure more horizontal than vertical. An expansive collaboration space for scientists, trainers and physicians will be present, allowing for and encouraging cooperation. It would also be comprised of offices for both the university’s athletic staff and research staff, within the same corridor, in addition to an adaptable lab area that is flexible enough to transform based on the requirements of any given study.
What HOK is ultimately aiming to do pertains to transitional science, attempting to break down the barriers between discovery and application in order to produce the best possible outcome. Adopting this approach to a training facility can do just that, and the wellness of athletes will be significantly improved as a result.