Springfield Business Journal_2020-11-02

12 · SBJ.NET NOV. 2-8, 2020 SALUTE TO CONSTRUCTION Nixa High School stadium The Nixa Eagles football team narrowly defeated Joplin 35-34 in the debut of its new stadium this fall. The revamp nearly dou- bled home team and visitor capacity. “At Nixa, and for a lot of schools around here, foot- ball is king,” said project architect Kirk Dillon of Dake Wells Architecture. “One of the things they wanted to do was for the com- munity to be proud of it and relate to it, but also for competitors to come in and be intimidated.” He said the design team achieved that display of school pride though increasing ca- pacity, signage, branding and lighting. Spectators are first greeted by the stadium’s grandstand, which is wrapped in a 35-foot-tall by 215-foot-long vinyl windscreen with digitally printed graphics of student athletes. At the center is a 65-foot elevator bearing the school logo. “They said they wanted the stadium to be at another level,” said Brandon Dake, co- owner of Dake Wells Architecture. “That tower feature can be seen as you pull into the parking lot.” Dillon said his favorite aspect of the proj- ect was the grading and expanding the space available for fans. “It’s kind of the underrated part, but we were able to capitalize on some grading challenges to make changes and levels for people to gather,” he said. “It’s completely accessible.” Dake said the road connecting the north and south parking lots also was changed to a pedestrian walkway and fire lane. “That little move really transformed this side of the site,” Dillon added. “We were looking for ways to maximize what we had available.” The design team worked together under a tight timeline, he said, with just the eight months between football seasons to complete the project. The concessions, restrooms and press box also were expanded. The stadium also is used for soc- cer, track and field, and band com- petitions. —Christine Temple, Features Editor DELIVERING PERFORMANCE-DRIVEN SOLUTIONS TO YOUR BUSINESS Technical Training • Quality & Safety • Management & Leadership • Communication & Soft Skills • Computers & IT • Coaching & Consulting B U S I N E S S S O L U T I O N S T E A M workforce.otc.edu/business-solutions • (417) 447-8902 MCKENZIE ROBINSON Dillon