DESIGN INTENT
Strathcona Tweedsmuir School is one of Alberta’s leading independent schools, serving students from kindergarten through grade twelve with a longstanding tradition of academic excellence and competitive athletics. In 2024, the school retained NAK Design Strategies to lead the planning, design, and delivery of a transformational new outdoor athletics facility on its 15-acre campus south of Calgary.
The facility includes a World Rugby (WRB) and FIFA-compliant artificial turf field, an all-weather synthetic track, and provisions for future lighting. Phase 1, comprising the track and field, is complete. Phase 2, covering field lighting, fan experience improvements, and a small amenity building, is currently underway.
NAK’s scope began with a comprehensive feasibility study that evaluated the campus as a whole rather than treating the field in isolation. Rugby and field hockey are the school’s predominant sports; the master plan was developed to serve both, immediately and into the future.
The design reimagined the site layout to strategically locate the new championship stadium near the school building and existing parking, improving accessibility for students, staff, and spectators. The existing natural turf rugby pitch was partially relocated and integrated into the revised plan, preserving field capacity while making room for the new track and turf facility. Future phases include provisions for an FIH-compliant field hockey pitch, with that expansion pre-considered in the current site geometry and services layout. Road improvements and other infrastructure upgrades anticipated in later phases were factored into the current design, avoiding the costly rework that comes from planning phases in isolation.
