Ave Maria University School of Law, Cancro Family Wellness Center

Design Team
Victor J. Latavish, AIA (Project Architect); Tyler Thorp (Construction Documents); Michael Thomas (Construction Administration); Brian Liebl, PE (Structural Engineer); Steven Stafford, PE (MEP Engineer); Michael Delate, PE (Civil Engineer)

Ave Maria University School of Law believes in a total formation of mind, body and spirit, and the goal of this project is part of that mission. The law school needed a fitness center, gymnasium, and 3v3 soccer field. The building site was extremely tight, and the budget was even tighter, necessitating the use of a pre-engineered metal building.

The actual use of the gymnasium and its ordinary construction is not readily apparent until entering the spaces, which mix indoor with outdoor environments under a metal roof. The enclosed fitness center at the north end features large windows and doors shaded on all sides. White aluminum sunshades cast deep shadows below, providing cross-ventilation in the open-air gymnasium. The south wall shields the basketball courts from the sun and weather and creates an apse for the covered assembly space.

Nobody could have known of the impending Covid-19 pandemic when the project was conceived, or the benefit of having a large covered outdoor space available for outdoor student and faculty assemblies, including Mass.

Additional Information

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