HEBRON – At the new athletic center at Hebron Academy, a subtle design is bringing mathematics to students.

Paul Lewandowski, design architect for SMRT of Portland and self-admitted “math geek,” said the building is meant to combine athletics and academics. Lewandowski added that athletic director Leslie Guenther also teaches math at the academy.

“It seemed kind of fitting,” said Lewandowski. “And all of that got wrapped up in creating this dynamic space for athletics so it would seem energetic.”

On the southern exterior of the building, a set of panels in three different colors run in a seemingly random sequence. Three white panels, one yellow panel, four gray panels, another solitary white panel, five yellow, and so on.

The panels on this wall follow the numbers in pi, which is equal to the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. The eastern wall is trickier. Its panels are aligned to reflect Euler’s number, or e, a mathematical constant that is the base of a natural logarithm.

Many of the windows in the facility follow Fibonacci numbers, a sequence of numbers based on the sum of the previous two numbers. The height of the panes in feet follow the early numbers of this sequence, ranging from 1 foot to 8 feet tall.

SMRT was founded 125 years ago by John Calvin Stevens, who designed Sturtevant Hall and other buildings on the campus. Lewandowski said a tower at the entrance to the athletic center is meant to emulate the one on the hall, and includes the golden ratio and Fibonacci numbers in its design.

The angles of the building are meant to correspond to the neighboring Robinson Arena and Halford Hall, with a plaza space in between the center and the arena to look over the athletic fields below.

“This is sort of order in chaos,” Lewandowski said.

From the campus entrance, the view looks over the southern hills, as well as interior walkways in the building. A climbing wall includes a window midway up to allow climbers to enjoy the view.

The design also looks to increase the visibility of the building through stainless steel tiles on one section which reflect the sunlight and polycarbonate honeycombs in the tower’s windows which will create a sparkling effect at night.

The $11 million center has 54,000 square feet of space and includes three multipurpose courts, two squash courts, and a fitness center. It was dedicated in October and is expected to open to students before the end of the year.