The newly renovated Hayward Field at the University of Oregon is a world-class track and field facility.
The redesigned stadium provides athletes – including the University of Oregon’s outstanding student-athletes – an unparalleled stage to push the boundaries of what is possible,
While providing the ultimate fan experience – a track stage with comfortable seating,
in-stadium amenities, amazing sight lines and intimacy for competitors.
Design resembling the Olympic flame
The design of the tower at Hayward Field to resemble the Olympic flame was not a coincidence;
Designed by SRG Partnership architects, it was a nod to the many University of Oregon students who made it to the Olympics.
It was also fitting that the renovated stadium would serve as a tryout venue for the U.S. Olympic team shortly after its completion.
The University of Oregon’s Hayward Field reimagines its historic track and field stadium.
Where the great Bill Bowerman trained superstar athletes like Steve Prefontaine — and transformed it into a 12,500-seat major arena.
It is also designed to connect athletes with fans and provide world-class facilities,
where UO student-athletes train, develop and perform to their highest potential.
Track and Field Theater
Open sight lines and the proximity of spectators to athletes creates an intimate relationship between athletes and fans.
Enhanced acoustics build anticipation and amplify the action for an immersive sensory experience.
Unlike typical suites housed in boxes high above the stands,
Hayward’s premium suites are open and close to the stadium, connecting fans directly to the action.
Designed for athletes
Off the competitive track, it is designed for training use by athletes – from plazas to covered slopes to the track surface,
To the winding vertical stairs that climb the 10-story Hayward Tower.
Underneath the stadium is approximately 40,000 square feet dedicated to training,
recovery and team bonding, including an indoor training area;
A team hall with a capacity of 100 seats; Team locker rooms, hall,
shared study spaces; weight training; Feeding stations and a barber shop.
Design features
Hayward Tower marks the main entrance and serves as a campus and community-wide landmark.
The interior includes bus amenities, offices and meeting rooms,
and the open public upper deck offers 360-degree views of Eugene and the surrounding valley.
The tower’s steel shape glows upward and outward to resemble the Olympic torch.
It is a fitting nod to the success Oregon athletes have achieved and will continue to achieve on the Olympic stage.
The tower’s exterior perforated metal plaque features images of five icons of Oregon track and field:
Legendary coach Bill Bowerman, Steve Prefontaine, Raven Rogers, Ashton Eaton, and Otis Davis.
Key ideas and inspirations that influenced the building’s design
The design team was inspired by track and field athletes at their peak,
From a runner who circles a curve at record speed to a pole vaulter who reaches new heights to a discus thrower who builds power through twisting.
The resulting form of the building itself appears to move,
but also uniquely enhances the experiences of athletes and fans.
By filling the stadium’s largest number of seats and amenities close to the finish line of the track,
which increases the energy for athletes and fans alike.
Hayward Field consists of three basic components: the base, the seating bowl, and the roof canopy.
The base, which surrounds the training and team facilities and supports the stadium concourse above,
is clad in precast concrete panels that visually stabilize the building on all sides.
The shapes of the prefabricated panels are trapezoidal.
They are all tilted in the direction of the runners on the track, a nod to the theme of movement.
The stadium bowl was raised from the main concourse to increase fan flow and open the stadium to views and daylight.
Covered with a metal mesh on its underside,
the bowl has become a canvas for brands and associations with the site’s history, visible to all from the public lobby and beyond.
The soaring wood roof structure was also inspired by the Pacific Northwest and is a nod to the historic wooden bleachers at Hayward Field.
And stadium environments are often dark and shaded due to hard roof structures and materials.
An ETFE roof was chosen to allow daylight in.
Design response to the unique qualities of the site
The site is located in the center of the University of Oregon campus,
surrounded by campus academic and recreational facilities.
Student housing and other athletics venues, the site has always been a place that connects students,
athletes and the broader Eugene community.
These intersections enable Hayward Field to be more than just a venue for sports and competition.
It represents the University’s commitment to innovation and an inclusive pioneering spirit.
The entire north end of the field has been left open, making the field welcoming and accessible to all.
The street along this northern edge has been transformed from a vehicular street into a full pedestrian experience and campus plaza.
Which extends into the heart of campus and opens up views of the stadium and across the Eugene Valley from the seats inside.
The 10-storey tower represents the main public entrance and serves as a landmark for the community.
It includes bus facilities, offices and a 360-degree viewing platform open to the public.
