Long Island City, Queens, New York / Sports + Recreation

Panatha USA Sports Complex

A 60,000-square-foot athletic and community destination bringing training, competition, hospitality, and Panatha culture together under one roof.

The Project

More than a place to train — a complete sports, hospitality, and community environment.

Paper Plane Architecture developed the design for a two-level sports complex in Long Island City combining athletic facilities with social, dining, training, administrative, and community spaces.

The Idea

Sport as the anchor. Community as the destination.

The design organizes a broad athletic program around spaces for basketball, pickleball, indoor soccer, strength and conditioning, cardio training, locker and training rooms, youth programming, and support functions.

Hospitality is integrated directly into the athletic experience through a coffee shop, restaurant, lounge, gathering areas, and outdoor terrace. The goal is to create a facility that remains active beyond practices and games — a place for athletes, families, supporters, and the wider Panatha community.

Athletics

Designed for training, competition, and everyday use.

The project accommodates multiple sports and fitness programs within one building, using large open-span areas, clear circulation, durable finishes, and visual connections between training zones.

Fitness and cardio area — Cardio + functional training

Strength training gym — Strength training

Identity

A facility shaped around the culture of Panatha.

Brand identity is carried through the architecture with Panatha green, athletic graphics, team imagery, memorabilia, and a consistent visual language that makes circulation spaces part of the experience rather than leftover space.

Panatha branded corridor — Branded athlete corridor

Beyond the Courts

Hospitality makes the complex a place to stay.

The social program expands the project beyond athletics, giving visitors places to meet, eat, work, wait, and gather before and after training or competition.

Panatha USA Sports Complex exterior streetscape

Two-Level Program

Organizing 60,000 square feet of movement, training, and gathering.

The plans show how court sports, fitness, locker and support spaces, hospitality, offices, lounges, youth programming, and circulation were coordinated across two levels of the complex.

First floor plan

Second floor plan

First floor program axonometric — First floor program study

Second floor program axonometric — Second floor program study

The Vision

A sports complex conceived as a home for athletes, families, supporters, and the wider Panatha community.

The project combines the performance requirements of a large athletic facility with the identity, hospitality, and social spaces of a true community destination.