Metal-clad soccer center kicks recreation facilities up a notch

Like many cities in the South, Auburn, Ala., has seen steady growth during the past several decades – and, like many metro areas across the United States, it also has seen booming interest in soccer. To meet the demand for more practice and playing space, the city recently expanded its existing soccer complex.

In addition to new outside fields, the project included a new soccer and multipurpose building. Designers opted for a pared-down, industrial look for the building’s exterior, with corrugated metal wall panels and a standing seam metal roof. The materials also call to mind the surrounding area’s long agricultural history.

Home to the namesake Auburn University, the city of Auburn has made significant population gains since the 2000 census, when it was home to approximately 43,000 residents. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated in 2022 that its population had topped 80,000 – almost doubling its size. And population there skews young, with a mean age of just more than 23 years, which puts athletic facilities in high demand. This is why, in 2022, the city made a $50 million commitment to upgrade its parks and recreation offerings.

The $8 million soccer expansion includes four new outdoor artificial turf fields that will allow game play during rainy weather, along with an indoor soccer and multipurpose court and a separate building housing restrooms and retail space. To clad the structures, designers with Chambliss King Architects of Montgomery Ala., and installing contractors from Metal Roofing Solutions, of Duncanville Ala., opted for 1/2-in. PAC-CLAD Corrugated panels from Petersen, specifying 13,450 sq. ft. of the material in a Silver finish. For the roof, 20,000 sq. ft. of the company’s PAC-CLAD Tite-Loc Plus panels in a Bone White finish were specified. All were fabricated from 24-gauge steel.