Lisbon High School Gymnasium

Lisbon High School had been making do with an outdated multipurpose room as their gym and auditorium for years. The gym’s deficiency was cited as an item jeopardizing the school’s accreditation. The non-regulation basketball court precluded tournament play, and the school was even forced to host its graduation ceremonies at a facility in a neighboring town.

Even though vacant mills in the area were being demolished and funding for public projects subject to extreme scrutiny, the community rallied around the school’s need for a regulation gymnasium and passed a referendum to fund the construction of a new facility. The design challenge demanded a purposeful and measured approach toward design, and dictated a solution that was both practical and beautiful. The project embraced restraint and simplicity to develop a solution that maximized the use of limited resources to create a building the town could celebrate.

The scope of work included the new gym, upper concourse, and a number of support spaces including updated locker rooms, new concessions, visiting locker rooms, and fitness training room. The upper concourse connects the new gym with the old multi-purpose space, which will be converted to a performing arts center in Phase II. The concourse provides ample space for gathering before and after events, and features solatubes for natural lighting during the day.

By taking advantage of the gable volume of the former multipurpose space, the stage will be moved to the opposite end of the space and feature raked audience seating. The program for the stage will expand to incorporate back of house support space for the costume storage, set shop, and more. The existing stairs to the locker rooms below will provide dual purpose changing rooms for large performances.

The design of the gym is ordered, open, and bright, relying on a translucent polycarbonate clerestory to naturally light the space during the school day. Since the completion in 2015, the space has been a huge resource for the Lisbon community, and has been used for graduations, senior proms, music festivals, arts and craft fairs, municipal voting, and countless athletic games. The project has provided the community with a gathering space that all residents of Lisbon can enjoy.