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SLED HILL Lambeau Field is a legendarily brutal place to play football in the winter. It is commonly known as the “Frozen Tundra”. It is a source of pride for fans to endure sub-zero temperatures when most other northern teams have moved to heated indoor venues. As the centerpiece of a 10-acre park immediately adjacent to the stadium, it was essential to the design team that the concept for this unique building needed to be specific to the place. Envisioned as a piece of earth pushed upward on a crystalline block of permafrost ice, the Sledding Pavilion embodies the idea that inspired it. A challenge for any sports anchored development is generating activity year-around when there are not events to attract people. This is particularly tricky in harsh environments. “The Hill”, or sledding pavilion was designed to attract people throughout the year. In the winter people can slide down the 30% slope or go ice skating on the skating pond and trail that winds its way beneath the structure. In the warmer months the hill becomes an inclined lawn facing the stadium that can be used for concerts and recreation, and the skating area below becomes a public plaza. There is also a terrace at the top of the hill with a bar concealed by a folding wooden wall that opens to create a canopy. Throughout the year people can use the café on the ground level and the event space on the second floor. In addition to the location specific design parti, the building materials were also selected for their connection to the area. Local Fon du Lac stone cladding and indigenous white cedar were primary building materials. Rain screen cladding that evokes the memory of weathered wood siding from a cabin in the woods was also used to further reinforce the connection to nature that is so important to the region.
