MileSplit HQ - The plans have been circulating for years, but after months of planning and construction, the Ocean Breeze Track and Field Facility on Staten Island is nearing completion. A new home to USATFNY, the facility is being engineered with the track athlete in mind. Fully wired to handle the most elite of competitors, yet affordable for use by the average high school runner. We took a quick tour of the facility over the Thanksgiving break, and we were excited with what we saw. Check out a quick video tour below.
Release from Ocean Breeze Facility:
625 Father Capodanno Boulevard
Staten Island, NY 10305
Ocean Breeze Park will soon boast a 135,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art indoor track and field facility. This $93 million athletic complex was funded by the City's PlaNYC initiative, with construction managed in coordination with the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC). Once open to the public in 2015, the facility will become a premier destination for athletic events, drawing competitors from around the region. The elite-level hydraulically-banked competition track will be able to be converted from eight to six lanes, can incline up to 4.5 feet, and will have commanding views of the nearby Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and even the Freedom Tower in lower Manhattan. A warm-up area will feature fitness and cardio rooms and a covered parking lot will accommodate 160 cars. NYC Parks worked with track and field professionals and community groups throughout the planning process and continues to work with local partners to explore youth and adult programming opportunities
In keeping with the sustainability goals of PlaNYC, Parks and DDC are seeking a LEED Silver rating for the building, and have incorporated features to conserve energy and water into the design. Sustainable features for the building include geothermal heating and cooling, displacement ventilation, harvesting of storm water to recharge surrounding wetlands, a "cool" roof and recycled materials. In addition, the building will take advantage of the cool ocean breezes to provide natural ventilation for the majority of the year. Natural daylight harvested through skylights, windows, light shelves and clerestories will either eliminate or supplement the necessity for artificial lighting much of the time. The surrounding sand dunes, wetlands, grasslands and shrub forest comprising much of Ocean Breeze Park will be preserved.
For more information contact oceanbreeze@parks.nyc.gov.