Our Projects / Butler University Esports Park

Butler University Esports Park

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

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Challenge. What if we used innovative design to reinvigorate a space that isn’t being utilized efficiently? We answered that very question through the design of Butler University’s Esports Park in Indianapolis, Indiana.

An adaptive reuse of former retail space in a parking garage, the Butler Esports Park features high-performance PCs and consoles, virtual reality, event and coworking spaces, a café, tech-enhanced outdoor lounge spaces, office areas for partner organizations and a studio and video production suite.

Innovation. The space is designed for maximum flexibility, with its primary function as the home for Butler’s leading esports program, team training and broadcast production. In addition, it can be easily configured to host a wide spectrum of academic programming, special events, lectures and student gatherings.

The gaming arena floor provides a dynamic competitor and spectator environment, accommodating up to 60 gaming stations.
The Butler Esports Park was designed to provide students and the local community access to the highest level of resources, technology and amenities.

Upon entry, visitors are greeted by retail and informational displays, immersing them in the Butler Esports brand and providing content that showcases daily and upcoming events. The space opens into a coworking and lounge area with a mix of social seating, collaborative technology and gaming areas. It also features a café to serve students and the community on a daily basis and is a valuable amenity for special event usage.

The gaming arena floor provides a dynamic competitor and spectator environment, accommodating up to 60 gaming stations for everyday student use, varsity team training and premier collegiate competitions. The gaming stations feature an innovative ‘transformer’ design that can easily configure for various modes. Situated in front of a stage, these stations allow for multiple competition types, academic uses and industry events.

A high-end broadcast and production space supports gaming and content creation, while also providing a critical resource for academic development and experiential learning. The Esports Park prominently situates leasable tenant space for leading esports industry organizations Beastcoast and Challonge. It also houses university office space and flexible conference space for academic teaching and seminars. Positioned on the northeast side of campus, a new outdoor area serves to extend the social and event functions of the space, while connecting the new structure to the rest of the campus.

Through our partnership with Populous, we have created an innovative and versatile space that will serve our esports teams as well as students and the community, creating more opportunities for them to excel.
Eric Kammeyer, Butler University’s director of esports and gaming technology.

Impact. Butler Esports has been competing since 2017 and currently supports two titles that compete in the BIG EAST Conference: League of Legends and Rocket League. Beyond the BIG EAST, students can also compete in club esports titles in Apex Legends, Call of Duty, Counter-Strike, Fortnite, Hearthstone, Overwatch, Rainbow Six, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, and VALORANT. The esports park allows for the continued growth of the program.

The venue was designed to be a hub for the tech community while simultaneously expanding Butler’s growing presence in esports. With Butler Esports Park, we helped Butler University achieve their goal of creating a diverse and inclusive esports program combined with a state-of-the-art facility.

Butler Esports Park sets the trend within collegiate esports, further solidifying Indianapolis as a base for innovation. Designed to provide students and the local community access to the highest level of resources, technology and amenities, the space ensures esports are accessible to everyone.