Holy Names High School had outgrown their current non-regulation size gymnasium, and was looking for an alternate site to build a new full sized gymnasium.  G7A was tasked with exploring the possibilities of locating the gym within their existing paved activity area located in the southeast corner of the site.  The existing overflow parking (approximately 65 spaces) that had occupied this space would be relocated to the space currently occupied by the school's unused tennis courts.  By locating the new building in this area, we were able to create an outdoor social space in the negative spaces created by the buildings.  This negative space would serve as the quad and main social hub for the school - an element that was previously missing.

With an extremely tight budget, several structural systems were considered that would shorten the construction time and reduce costs.  These included pre-manufactured steel, CMU, and tilt-up concrete systems, with a preference for pre-manufactured steel.

Sustainability was a primary consideration for this building, with an emphasis placed on natural lighting, passive heating and cool, a healthy interior environment, and water conservation.  The building and its landscape would act as a classroom, educating the students on the importance of environmental sustainability.