#193: SWINGIN’ IN STYLE

“Do you golf?” This is a common even trite question within business relations. But for serious golfers, the inquiry is not just a part of transactional dealings. No, golf is a religion for some. Since my answer was, “Uh, no. Sorry, I don’t golf,” I was certain we failed at the job interview. To our surprise, we won the project: Poon Design was commissioned to design a ground breaking golf facility, where tradition meets technology.

We probably won because we brought the appropriate blend of creativity, attentiveness, professionalism and a down-to-earth demeanor, as compared to a “starchitect’s” ego, arrogance and self-interests.

For this 3,200-square-foot recreational and practice facility, known as the Golf Performance Center, we blended the legacy, tradition and culture of golfing with the latest technological developments in golf simulation—a simultaneous look back with an eye towards the future. Our architecture is modern, with abstract hints, such as proportion and scale, towards the Neoclassical style of the nearby 1911 clubhouse.

The overall design of our Golf Performance Center began in response to the size and scale of nearby homes. For a “good neighbor” approach, we reduced the mass of our structure, splitting its singular form into two. We then slid the two masses in opposite directions, east then west—further breaking down its scale and creating an entry patio.

The composition provided an opportunity for an innovative roof, one of two roofs actually. Such an approach delivered an iconic building form seen from nearby and the upper golf course, while also offering a dynamic ceiling and volumetric form within. Our creative journey explored a dozen roof forms: from gables to sheds, an undulating living roof to simply flat, and diagonally folded to a Mid-Century Modern accordion—to name a few.

We arrived at a double roof, where each is both gable and shed. At the west end of the building where visitors arrive, two gable facades provide the most traditional and welcoming of roof lines for the public. At the east end of the building, the gables transition to two long shed roofs, reducing the building’s volume as it approaches nearby homes and the hillside.

The front mass of the facility houses the entry, two practice driving studios and equipment fitting studio, whereas the back mass contains a multipurpose event area, practice putting studio, office and restrooms.

The three front studios open to the 400-yard driving range, where golfers swing out of the building through an 11-foot tall, six-panel, glass folding doors. With the retractable screen down, one can experience the virtual motion-capture swing platform. The practice putting studio contains an ground breaking feature: a topographical moving floor that can be programmed and shaped to numerous inclines and undulations.

On the interior walls of the event area, we reinterpreted the traditional beadboard wall surface used elsewhere around the property. This style of wood cladding originated from England centuries ago. Within our Golf Performance Center, the vertical wood planks sweep around convex and concave curved corners, a metaphor for the arc of a golf ball or swing of a golf club.

The exterior design comprises white acrylic-resin plaster, standing seam galvanized metal roof, glass and aluminum accordion doors and a steel and wood trellis. Situated at the north end of the practice range, the Golf Performance Center provides a landmark structure that honors the history of this campus while looking towards the future.