Ever since February 4, 1932, when American speed skater Jack Shea stood on a raised wooden platform during the opening ceremony of that year’s Olympic Winter Games, the podium has embodied the highest levels of athletic achievement: athleticism, competition, victory. And, of course, celebration. The indoor sports facility currently under construction in Spokane is part of that long tradition. A world-class championship venue capable of hosting nearly 20 different sports and seating 4,000 spectators, it’s already slated to host a variety of collegiate, national, and international competitions. It seemed only fitting for helveticka, in partnership with Integrus Architecture, the Spokane Sports Commission, and the Spokane Public Facilities District, to name this new venue for the pinnacle of sport: The Podium. And when you consider that it sits atop a 15-foot basalt outcropping overlooking downtown Spokane – a natural podium – it was practically kismet. Accompanying the new name and logo, which employs a perfect O situated on a plinth to represent a medal and a podium, respectively, is the tagline “The first place for sports.” As unexpected as it is aspirational, The Podium has the potential to create a true athletic brand – both for the facility itself and, by extension, for the city of Spokane.