Sasaki Associates has acquired Concord, Mass.-based planning and design firm Sgarzi Associates. Founded in 2003 by Chris Sgarzi, Sgarzi Associates has developed a strong reputation for their programming, planning, and design of sports, recreation, and student life facilities throughout the Northeast. Sgarzi’s expertise and existing client relationships will further enhance Sasaki’s nationally-recognized sports design practice. He will serve as a principal at Sasaki and will work with firm leaders in both its Boston and San Francisco offices.
Sasaki has also added Stephen Sefton to the sports design studio as senior associate. Stephen joins the firm most recently from Ellerbe Becket / AECOM where he served as a senior sports designer in their San Francisco office. He brings to the Sasaki team over 16 years of dedicated experience in the design of sports facilities, including a focus in large-scale spectator buildings such as stadia and arenas.
The merger with Sasaki offers Sgarzi Associates’ clients access to a greater depth of resources and a wide range of collaborative, interdisciplinary services—although they will still experience the same commitment to service, innovation, and excellence in design to which they are accustomed. “I enjoy getting to know my clients and learning about their unique campus cultures and traditions,” says Sgarzi. “Helping them achieve and exceed their aspirations for their built environment is very rewarding. As part of Sasaki, I can offer them the benefits of comprehensive services and a truly collaborative approach to institutional sports planning and design.”
The acquisition also signifies a homecoming for Sgarzi. Prior to founding his own firm, Sgarzi was a senior associate and associate director of Sasaki’s sports design studio. While Sasaki and its sports practice have progressed considerably in the interim decade, the firm’s dedication to collaboration and delivering context-specific solutions to their client’s unique problems has remained constant.
A selected list of the studio’s current and recent projects include a new field house at Middlebury College, the expansion and renovation of the Sally Blair Ames Sports Complex at Stonehill College, a new athletic center and student life facility at the College of the Holy Cross, the Harold Alfond Athletics Complex at the University of New England, a study for a track and lacrosse facility at the University of Michigan, a new Student Recreation Facility at Arizona State University in Tempe, and the Welcome Center and Ice Arena at Plymouth State Universityin New Hampshire. BD+C
Related Stories
| Oct 12, 2010
Building 13 Naval Station, Great Lakes, Ill.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Gold Award. Designed by Chicago architect Jarvis Hunt and constructed in 1903, Building 13 is one of 39 structures within the Great Lakes Historic District at Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill.
| Oct 12, 2010
Full Steam Ahead for Sustainable Power Plant
An innovative restoration turns a historic but inoperable coal-burning steam plant into a modern, energy-efficient marvel at Duke University.
| Oct 12, 2010
From ‘Plain Box’ to Community Asset
The Mid-Ohio Foodbank helps provide 55,000 meals a day to the hungry. Who would guess that it was once a nondescript mattress factory?
| Oct 11, 2010
HGA wins 25-Year Award from AIA Minnesota
HGA Architects and Engineers won a 25-Year Award from AIA Minnesota for the Willow Lake Laboratory.
| Oct 11, 2010
MBMA Releases Fire Resistance Design Guide for metal building systems
The Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) announces the release of the 2010 Fire Resistance Design Guide for Metal Building Systems. The guide provides building owners, architects, engineers, specifiers, fire marshals, building code officials, contractors, product vendors, builders and metal building manufacturers information on how to effectively meet fire resistance requirements of a project with metal building systems.
| Oct 11, 2010
Rhode Island is the first state to adopt IGCC
Rhode Island is the first state to adopt the International Green Construction Code (IGCC). The Rhode Island Green Buildings Act identifies the IGCC as an equivalent standard in compliance with requirements that all public agency major facility projects be designed and constructed as green buildings. The Rules and Regulations to implement the Act take effect in October 2010.
| Oct 8, 2010
Union Bank’S San Diego HQ awarded LEED Gold
Union Bank’s San Diego headquarters building located at 530 B Street has been awarded LEED Gold certification from the Green Building Certification Institute under the standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council. Gold status was awarded to six buildings across the United States in the most recent certification and Union Bank’s San Diego headquarters building is one of only two in California.
| Oct 6, 2010
Windows Keep Green Goals in View
The DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory has almost 600 window openings, and yet it's targeting LEED Platinum, net-zero energy use, and 50% improvement over ASHRAE 90.1. How the window ‘problem’ is part of the solution.
| Oct 6, 2010
From grocery store to culinary school
A former West Philadelphia supermarket is moving up the food chain, transitioning from grocery store to the Center for Culinary Enterprise, a business culinary training school.
| Sep 30, 2010
Luxury hotels lead industry in green accommodations
Results from the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s 2010 Lodging Survey showed that luxury and upper-upscale hotels are most likely to feature green amenities and earn green certifications. Results were tallied from 8,800 respondents, for a very respectable 18% response rate. Questions focused on 14 green-related categories, including allergy-free rooms, water-saving programs, energy management systems, recycling programs, green certification, and green renovation.
