Q U A R R Y

The Victory Capital Performance Center is located in the suburban northwest side of San Antonio on a 25-acre site that is in the process of being developed into a wellness hub for the greater San Antonio community. It promises to be the heart of the community-focused development which will include an events plaza, parks, human performance research center, wellness centers, team store, and more. The Performance Center building includes practice courts, locker rooms, athletic training and sports medicine areas, hydrotherapy pools, workspace environments for up to 70 staff members, including conference and meeting rooms. There is a full prep and serving kitchen with a community dining hall to serve as a nutrition education facility and bring the team, coaches and staff together.

Quarry

The Spurs have a player mantra referred to as "Pound the Rock." The mantra is a quote from Jacob Riis:

"When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before."

The site is adjacent to a former and abandoned limestone quarry. The unearthing of the limestone exposes the raw material which gives the site a strong geologic landscape.

Civic Presence

The character of the building is twofold. Similar to a professional athlete who has a public persona and a private life, the building has civic presence and an internally focused side.

Toward the quarry side, there is a private inner sanctum where programs for respite and recovery. Facing the plaza, the building takes on a civic scale with a large cloister, precast columns and transparent entry stairs. Each of these qualities required different material, articulation and configuration.

Fortress of Solitude

Coach Pop, who recently retired after decades of coaching the Spurs and the US Olympic Basketball team referred to the practice courts as the "Fortress of Solitude." Its where the intensity, commitment and grit of the individual and the team is forged.

The 110 foot glulam beams and CLT decking of the center is one of the only mass timber practice facilities in the nation. The Spurs wanted the Fortress to be of innovative materials merged with natural beauty to create a sense of strength, longevity and refinement for their players.

Connect to the land

Surrounded by rolling terrain of aged oak and cedar trees, the facility uses connection to daylight, the rugged landscape and geologic nature of the site to provide the players, coaches and staff with a sense of San Antonio. As equally important to training, focused recovery is a key priority for the players. The center includes hydrotherapy pools and unique respite spaces as a player lounge, napping and gaming rooms as well as a food prep, community kitchen and mental health resource.

Coach

The Spurs coaches, assistant coaches, trainers, administration, scouts, health providers and support staff are the backbone of their organization. Their shared objective to win and be the best, trickles down in all directions.

The buildings' north and south facades are dedicated to these vital program elements. Their work is often private and internally focused yet simultaneously need connection to the exterior for outdoor training, respite and connection.