Duke University, Bassett Fields

McAdams was the civil engineer for the expansion of the Bassett Drive Athletic Fields at Duke University as part of a multi-phase upgrade of athletic facilities on the University’s main campus. As one of the first steps in a revamping of Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadium, the existing practice fields for soccer and lacrosse were to be removed in anticipation of relocating the track out of the 85-year-old football stadium. Working with the architect, field designer, geotechnical engineer, contractor and the University as a team, McAdams was able to expand the fields to one natural turf field and two fully synthetic fields to meet the needs of the University’s athletic program. Relocation and rerouting of multiple utilities, final configuration of site walls (up to 28 feet tall), addition of a new fire hydrant to serve the proposed storage building, providing a much needed waterline “loop” to the athletics district and a detailed analysis of the stormwater management component of the project were all incorporated in the site plan and utility construction drawings permitted with the City of Durham. The completion of these fields in late 2013 allowed Duke’s athletic programs to have adequate practice space in order to begin construction of the new NCAA track facility and Kennedy Tower adjacent to Koskinen soccer and lacrosse stadium.