Students at WPI just got an email blast about the new athletic center being built, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that they have dedicated space in the new 114,000 sf center to pits for robotics events. Below is an image of the floorplan. More info here.
http://www2.picturepush.com/photo/a/3315665/640/3315665.png](http://www2.picturepush.com/photo/a/3315665/img/3315665.png)
Now that’s just flippin’ awesome!!! Congrats!!! 
What will they be using that space for the rest of the year? It’s great and all to think about what events use your facilities and design accordingly but right now there are two events that I know of that need robot pits. Presumably they aren’t going to build this large open area and use it twice a year…
Looks like they are mapping out enough spaces for 55/56 teams.
It fits Battlecry well.
I guess they wanted the WPI regional to get bigger too.
The robot pits appear to be one floor below the gymnasium level, but with a nice view of the swimming pool.
Unless…
…it’s advanced notice of a future season’s underwater game?
Just goes to show how FIRST is getting seen as more of a sporting like event every day. This keeps up soon one of Dean’s robotic arms will be sending out a first pitch.
Notice the “Connection to Harrington” in the right side of the floor plan. This would indicate that the field would continue to be in Harrington while the pits would be in the new athletic center. Eliminating pits in Harrington would allow for the field to be centered on the basketball court, thus opening up the other side of seating (and doubling participant capacity).
The space is actually pretty cool. Power will be built into each pit. Screens are being built into the walls for rankings and possibly even video. The space is at the same level as Harrington and will have an easy path to get there while being inside the entire time.
When we won’t be having competitions the space will probably be used for yoga and other such things.
So…where is everyone going to park?
A most excellent question =)
Perhaps in Connecticut
Well, most events are on the weekend, so they can use Founder’s Lot, assuming WPI lets them… There’s the tiny lot at the 'Chopper down the hill, but no good for teams hauling gear … So might as well be somewhere in Cownecticut 
They are also planning on eventually building a parking garage under the baseball and softball fields. This wouldn’t happen until after the new athletics facility is done.
There was parking lots on the campus.
Just don’t know how close they would be to the building.
Shuttle buses!
I’m guessing in the garage at Gateway park with a shuttle service running. It’s about a 3/4 mile/15 minute walk each way along Salisbury Street.
Land around here is too valuable to build surface parking lots; they’ve been replacing them left and right with buildings and amenities over the past few years. Rumors have it that the Library parking lot may be replaced with a “Senior Quad” in their long term goals as well.
Now if Worcester was smart, what they really need to do is to rebuild a few key lines of their old streetcar system (a few hub/spoke lines that merge in the downtown CBD/Union Station). Trying to drive anywhere in Worcester between the hours 7am-9am and from 4pm-7pm is a nightmare. All the major roads are literally parking lots; I’ve walked to the grocery store faster (it’s a ten minute walk) than the average speed of traffic on multiple occasions. There are buses here, but well, they’re buses; no one really likes riding them and no one really knows where they go and/or how often they come.
But if Worcester was to follow the lead of cities like Portland, OR; Washington, DC; and over 80 other cities across the country and start building its streetcar lines, you’d eliminate the need for a sizable chunk of parking. And the parking that would remain could be consolidated into parking garages, freeing up valuable real estate for economic development. Combine that with the high population densities throughout much of Worcester (thanks to the thousands of Triple Deckers) and 30,000+ college students in Worcester (each college is conveniently located almost evenly spaced around Worcester, thus providing an “anchor” for the end of each of the streetcar spoke lines) and a cheap student discount for the streetcar system, and you’ll see high ridership.
I also think Worcester/WPI/Some developer should also convert the old Worcester Memorial Auditorium, (which currently isn’t being used for anything, but is located directly between the main WPI campus and the WPI Gateway Park) into an iMAX theater. It could be used by the Worcester Art Museum (located right next door), as well as for general release films, and would really help liven up the neighborhood.
Is there an estimated date of completion on this? I’m looking forward to testing it out.
The building is suppose to be finished the summer of 2012 if the schedule goes as plan.
Just saying, but DC doesnt have streetcars, but we do have a subway that is packed during rush hour, and tons of parking garages beneath almost every building.
Just my $0.02
