The Quadricentennial Pavilion (originally UST Sports Complex) is a 5,792-seat multi-purpose

gym A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational i ...

nasium of the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Migue ...

(UST) located at the site of the former old Engineering Complex and adjacent football field in front of the Roque Ruaño Building. The Quadricentennial Pavilion is one of the building construction projects of the university for its celebration of 400th year of foundation in 2011.UST starts new gymnasium construction due at 400th anniversary
, retrieved 28 January 2010 The new sports complex replaced the old UST Gymnasium which was built in 1933.78-year-old gymnasium demolished; paves way for construction of alumni center
Retrieved 10 February 2012.

History

Since 1933, the university only had the old UST Gymnasium, which was considered then as the biggest gymnasium during its time, as venue to hold practices for its athletes, as well as to hold non-sporting events. In recent years, the student population increased to 40,000, prompting university officials to recognize the need for a new sporting facility within the campus. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on July 29, 2008, after the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

gave its "blessing" to the project as UST is a

pontifical university A pontifical university is an ecclesiastical university established or approved directly by the Holy See, composed of three main ecclesiastical faculties (Theology, Philosophy and Canon Law) and at least one other faculty. These academic institute ...

, directly under the supervision of the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

. The location of the sports complex lies on the former site of the Engineering Sports Complex that has an open field for softball and football, outdoor basketball courts, a tennis court, a covered basketball court with bleachers, and a canteen. It was originally named as the UST Sports Complex, but the Council of Regents announced on October 18, 2011, that the new building will be called the Quadricentennial Pavilion. Rev. Fr. Rolando V. de la Rosa, the former Rector of the university, described the then yet to be built facility as more than just a place for events and ceremonies as it will serve as a monument to "the unique and unparalleled holistic" sports development program of the university. The facility was planned to be the home of the UST varsity players and the Growling Tigers starting academic year of 2012.

Architecture and design

The Quadricentennial Pavilion was designed by chief architect Carmelo Casas, who also designed the UST Carpark Building. The first architectural plan for the facility was made in 2007. For three years before the groundbreaking of the facility in July 2008, Millenium Sports Universal Co. coordinated with Casas in the planning and design stage where they were tasked to create a sporting facility of at least 5,000 seating capacity. The structure has four storeys with its first floor being elevated to address potential flooding. The dimensions of the sports facility is and stands on a lot. A double wall design, by devising two walls separated by a space, was employed for the interior walls of the structure for noise insulation. To minimize solar exposure to the sports venue's interior, louvers were utilized as part of the building's façade. This feature was also used to highlight to emphasize the building's exterior. The project manager the facility was Asian Technicon Managers & Consultants, Inc.

Features

Sports

The dance hall for the

Salinggawi Dance Troupe The UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe (or simply ''Salinggawi'' or ''SDT''), is the University-wide organization for dance and the official dance troupe of the University of Santo Tomas (UST). The group is known for its versatility covering wide array ...

as well as training halls for badminton, fencing, judo, table tennis, and taekwondo are located in the ground floor of the Quadricentennial Pavilion. There is also a two-level fitness center on this floor and a gymnastics room. Five lecture rooms for IPEA (Institute of Physical Education and Athletics) is also located on this floor. On the third level, the facility features a two-lane overall track encircling the building. The first floor training facilities and dance hall has a of rubberized flooring. Four-storey sports complex mainly features a maplewood hardcourt basketball court on the second floor with rows of seats rising up to the fourth level of the building. The topmost section are accessible from the fourth level while the middle section is accessible from the third level. The court is surrounded by a tiger-stripe border with a tiger's head as another design element. The basketball venue is surrounded by orange, red and yellow seats. In total the Quadricentennial Pavilion has a seating capacity of at least 5,792 people. local-distributor Millenium Sports Universal Co., provided retractable rows of 1,562 polyprothylene chairs. Outside the playing court, the flooring is made up of engineered wood by Robbins which was also responsible for the wooden court. Maine-base Hussey supplied the retractable rows and chairs up to the fourth level. S'portable Scoreboards supplied the 4-sided scoreboard of the facility.

Others

The second floor holds the offices for IPEA, guidance counselors, and sports science. The institute have a faculty room and other multimedia rooms for students. This floor also hosts two dug-outs and two lounges for coaches. The new gym also serves as a museum that enshrines all the trophies, medals and other memorabilia of various UAAP championships the university has won. Championship banners will also hang from the rafters of the gymnasium.UST gets a new gym
Retrieved 28 January 2010 On the third level, the facility's windows holds posters and memorabilia displaying sporting events and selected Thomasian athletes. On one side facing the Roque Ruano Building are retail spaces for banks and restaurants. The facility is also capable of hosting non-athletic events such as concerts, graduation ceremonies, conferences, and the university mass.

Utilities

Its toilets and faucets inside the lavatories and restrooms are automated and the entire vicinity is controlled by a centralized air-conditioning system. A closed circuit television (CCTV) system is also installed in selected areas within the sports venue for security. The CCTV network is controlled from the Information Technology Data room which is located in the second floor of the facility.

''Campione'' steel sculpture

The main lobby of the facility features a steel sculpture named ''Campione'' (Spanish: ''champion''), designed by Thomasian artist Joe Datuin. The sculptor won in the 2008 Olympic Committee Sports and Arts contest.

Events

References

{{Sports venues in the Greater Manila Area University of Santo Tomas Educational structures in Metro Manila Indoor arenas in the Philippines Basketball venues in the Philippines Sports venues in Manila Buildings and structures in Sampaloc, Manila Sports venues completed in 2011 University sports venues in the Philippines 2011 establishments in the Philippines