VIDEO: Crews Reach Milestone on Building New Indoor Turf Facility at R.I.'s Brown University
Construction crews at Brown University reached a milestone by completing the final steel beam for an indoor turf facility. The 76,000-sq.-ft. space, replacing Meister-Kavan Field, will accommodate multiple sports and recreational activities, funded by donors and designed to meet a growing demand for athletic opportunities on campus.
Thu March 13, 2025 - Northeast Edition Brown University
Drone footage of the topping-off ceremony.
Since October 2024, construction crews in Providence, R.I., have been hard at work behind Brown University's Olney-Margolies Athletic Center, digging into the former site of Meister-Kavan Field to pave the way for the school's future indoor turf facility, a 76,000-sq.-ft., all-season space for practice, training, competition and recreation.
On March 5, 2025, workers hoisted the structure's final steel beam — adorned with the well-wishes of university leaders, construction workers and community members involved in the project's planning and development — into position. It was carried aloft in the classic topping-off tradition with an American flag and small pine tree placed atop the beam.
"With this milestone, Brown takes another step toward realizing a key piece of the Brown Athletics vision: A one-of-a-kind, high-performance training venue for our talented student-athletes and our entire campus community," Brown President Christina H. Paxson said during the event.
She was joined by Grace Calhoun, the university's vice president of athletics and recreation, as well as student-athletes, project supporters, skilled laborers and labor representatives from Building Futures and the Rhode Island Building and Construction Trades Council (RIBCTC) — both of which have long partnered with Brown on its capital improvements.
Brown University photo
On March 5, 2025, workers hoisted the structure's final steel beam into position.
As workers skillfully navigated the day's chilly, windy conditions, spectators noted that the weather only served to highlight the need for an indoor turf facility at Brown. In addition to providing a warm, dry space to train for field sports during the winter, the structure will offer a welcome respite from the summer's heat and humidity.
"This beautiful building will be an absolute game-changer for so many in our community," Calhoun said.
Indoor Facility Built to Meet Recreational Demand
Funded entirely by donor support, Brown's indoor turf facility was designed by Sasaki Associates and is expected to open in January 2026, according to a news story on the university's website.
Consigli Construction Inc. in Milford, Mass., is both the prime contractor and construction manager for the new facility that will replace Meister-Kavan Field, which served as the early-season and inclement weather site for the men's lacrosse team, as well as hosting many recreational sporting events.
In addition to the benefits the new building will provide Brown community members, the facility will move Meister-Kavan Field's outdoor activities to an enclosed space, mitigating noise impacts to local neighbors.
The indoor field will not only be lined for football, men's and women's lacrosse, soccer and rugby, but provide more than 5,000 Brown students that enjoy varsity, club and intramural sports with a new place to play. Divider curtains also will enable teams to split the field into halves or thirds, allowing for increased flexibility and accessibility. In addition, approximately 2,500 sq.-ft. within the facility will be dedicated to a strength and conditioning section.
Open year-round, the new structure is expected to alleviate scheduling conflicts for varsity teams vying for training space and expand access to the broader Brown community.
During the 2023-24 academic year, the university noted that 92 percent of undergraduate students engaged in athletics and recreation activities. Calhoun said she hopes that number will rise as the indoor turf facility expands capacity to meet a growing demand for recreational programming and fitness options for students, faculty and staff eager to incorporate physical activity into their personal wellness plans.
University Committed to Employing All-Union Labor
"Brown's dedication to supporting the community both on- and off-campus is just one of the reasons Building Futures has collaborated with the university since 2008," said Andrew Cortes, executive director of the Providence-based nonprofit apprenticeship program, which helps low-income workers build skills and move into fruitful construction careers.
"We have such a strong partnership in place to make sure that when we're building Brown, we're building the community," said Cortes, while noting that of all the apprentice hours spent on the indoor turf facility, nearly half came from Providence residents.
Building on the longstanding partnership, Brown officials signed a landmark agreement in 2022 with Building Futures and RIBCTC that committed the university to employ all-union labor for every campus construction project costing over $25 million.
The agreement also extended the Ivy League school's existing goal of ensuring that at least 15 percent of labor hours worked to construct those projects are performed by graduates of Building Futures.
"When a project like this happens, it's not only a state-of-the-art facility for the best institute of higher education that this country has," Cortes said. "It's also the opportunity for people to build a career, to build a life, [and] to build their future."
