Through its vast useful space and features like championship wins hung on the walls, Leverone leads to a strong sense of identity for the athletes the train and compete there.

One important factor of the vast space is how it lends it self to racing. The space holds a number of events, large and small, every year, as well as the Heptagonal Ivy League championships every four years.

In the video above, you can see how well the field house can handle a fairly large crowd, as well as how the noise of the crowd echoes throughout the building to create an intense energy surrounding the races. The bare concrete roof and sides and primarily glass walls create this echo that pounds through the arena. Through personal experience, I have heard this noise reverberation during a team cheer that contributes to a strong sense of team pride to close a practice.

Another aspect of Leverone that leads to a strong sense of identity is the large amount of awards and records hung all around the space.

Dozens of banners of race wins fill one wall of the Field House.

Just a few of the personal records displayed around the Field House.

More examples of the records displayed on the walls, some of these paying specific respect to Olympians.

Perhaps more important than the design of the space itself are these dozens of record plaques on the walls. When a runner comes into Leverone to train and is surrounded by the memory of hundreds of athletes that came before them, constantly breaking each other’s records and some going on to the olympics it brings an inspiring sense of Dartmouth pride and nostalgia.

Applying the concept from the Places Journal that a sense of central campus can affect learning, this sense of place from this building provides can profoundly affect an athlete. From a remarkable structure and vast interior space to an intense sonic environment and a multitude of historical records covering the walls, this space can give an athlete a sense of identity leading to increased performance.