During the 2023 National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Annual Conference and Campus Rec & Wellness Expo, Woodard & Curran was recognized, alongside our client the University of Massachusetts (UMass) at Amherst, with a NIRSA Outstanding Facilities Award. This award recognizes innovative designs of new, renovated, or expanded collegiate recreational facilities of NIRSA Member Institutions, of which UMass Amherst is one.
Woodard & Curran partnered with UMass Amherst’s Campus Recreation and Design & Construction Management teams to implement upgrades to the athletic facilities at Boyden Fields. Our sports and recreation specialists provided the planning, cost estimating, permitting, design, and construction administration for the 234,000 square foot multi-purpose synthetic turf field. The project included ADA accessible walkways and parking, LED field lighting, fencing, water bottle filing stations, stormwater quality treatment and flow attenuation, site drainage upgrades, new electrical service, and supporting subsurface infrastructure. Construction was complete in November 2019.
The NIRSA Outstanding Facilities Awards honors facilities that demonstrate excellence in several areas, including architectural design, functionality, and how well the facility meets its intended purpose. Winning facilities exemplify the institution’s commitment to providing the higher education experience desired and valued by students. Recipients of this award are held as the standard for other collegiate recreational facilities to meet.
This is the second award given to this project. The American Sports Builders Association (ASBA) recognized Boyden Fields during its 2020 virtual technical meeting and awards ceremony.
