Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Elkus Manfredi Architects were asked to design a top-notch coaching center for the Boston Celtics that consists of practice courts, sports science lab, and other exclusive features such as court-embedded “force-and-motion” floor plates collect data on player performance, within the city center.
This project was short-listed for a 2021 International Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The Celtics, Boston’s professional basketball team, and NB Development Group had a shared goal: Move the home base of the 17-time NBA champions from their suburban location to a new practice facility at Boston Landing, an emerging wellness district developed by NB Development Group.
The Celtics’ new home needed to focus on athletic performance, innovation, commitment to community, and most importantly, support the young players in every way—from superlative conditioning to the top-level coaching and mentoring necessary to develop and maintain the most competitive athletes.
The 70,000-SF Auerbach Center at New Balance World Headquarters—named for legendary Celtics coach Red Auerbach—dramatically cantilevers toward a major commuter highway atop a mixed-use building that is elegantly massed as a skewed stack of three two-story elements.
While the 30-foot-tall windows put the Celtics’ winning brand on outward display, the building allows the team to focus its energy inward toward the exclusive high-tech facility. The Auerbach Center is finely attuned to support these highly specialized athletes.
The facility supports the latest in sports medicine and training with sports science lab, training/recovery facilities, a therapeutic floatation tank, and a medical room with bone-imaging capability. Built-in flexibility allows these spaces to nimbly evolve and accommodate new technologies.
Coaches can control access for sponsors and media. A private entrance separates players from guests/media, while motorized shades shield practices until viewing is desired.
On other occasions, the glass can fold up, and bleachers pull out for an exhibition game or Junior Celtics kids camp event.
Lighting, materials, and color considerations help simulate game-day experiences right down to the practice courts, which feature the team’s signature red oak parquet flooring.
Everything from the height of showerheads, bathroom counters, and locker geometry to tables, seating, and door heights was built to suit.
The building’s lower floors support the district’s mixed-use vision, including office/laboratory spaces and street-level retail/restaurants, while the Auerbach Center, prominently occupying the top floors, lets the Celtics maximize their ability to attract and retain top talent in the high-stakes game of professional basketball.
Project: Auerbach Center at New Balance World Headquarters
Architects: Elkus Manfredi Architects
Client: NB Development Group, LLC.
Contractor: John Moriarty & Associates
Photographers: Robert Benson, Robert Benson Photography
