RECENT PROJECTS

GERMANTOWN CRICKET CLUB, Philadelphia, PA
TENNIS FACILITY RECONSTRUCTION
, completed May 2013

In September of 2012, Sport Builders began reconstruction of the clay court tennis facility at Germantown Cricket Club which was in need of major renovation. The project included complete demolition of the entire existing facility to complete reconstruction of 16 Tennis Courts and 2 Quick start courts. The project was extremely entailed and Sport Builders worked with Germantown through the design process all the way through final surface installation. Despite working through the winter, the project finished on time and onbudget while exceeding member playability expectations for the first full playing season. Sport Builders continues to assist Germantown with annual spring start up as well as surface and irrigation adjustments throughout the entire playing season. The project was extremely successful as Germantown received a USTA Facility of the year award from the USTA.

The foundation behind the renovation was to radically improve playing conditions, simplify daily maintenance and to create a facility layout that is truly unique to the Germantown Cricket Club. We designed a fence system that featured a ball containment strategy that also created a beautiful court setting. Various player amenities were also considered including lighting for nighttime play, on-court player seating and the construction of a player access walkway that also allowed for spectator viewing. A construction of new retaining wall system allowed for additional playing space on each court battery by expanding the footprint of the entire facility. Clearly the most important issue of the renovation was the reconstruction of the actual tennis courts which featured the installation of 9 Hydrocourts, 6 Natural Red Clay Courts, an all-weather hard court and two 10 & Under Quickstart courts.



PROJECT FEATURES:

Storm Water Management - An entire new storm water management system was installed to handle surface run-off and storm water. It included channel drains on each court and a rentention basin tied into the public sewer system This was a key part of the project as prior to this, red clay ran through the streets of Philadelphia during heavy rain storms.

Retaining Wall Reconstruction - A massive concrete retaining wall was constructed to create a new footprint for the natural red clay courts.Various block retaining walls were also constructed to accommodate elevation changes caused by each tier of courts.The new wall system created the space necessary for the construction of regulation size courts.

Sub Base Construction - The entire facility had to be graded to work in conjunction with the storm drain system and maintain the slope required for tennis courts.

Fencing - Over 3000 linear feet of fencing was installed with California corners and multiple access gates. Various height transitions improved spectator viewing.

Hydrocourt Construction - Nine Hydrocourts were constructed with a state-of-the-art sub-surface irrigation system.

Natural Red Clay Courts - Six natural red clay courts were constructed with an above ground sprinkler system divided into two zones per court so each court can be watered independently.

Hard Court Construction - A new hard court was constructed that featured a regulation size court and Quickstart area.

Player Walkway - A new paver walkway was installed between the Hydrocourts and Red Clay courts to provide access for members and maintenance equipment.

Court Amenities - Court amenities were installed including windscreens with imprinted logo, cabana benches and a hitt