Colorado University Athletics
Basketball, Volleyball Practice Facility Grand Opening Set
Related Links
BOULDERGÇöThe University of Colorado will officially open its
newest athletic facility, a basketball and volleyball practice
facility adjacent to the Coors Events Center, during a ceremony on
August 20.
A free program featuring CU chancellor Phil DiStefano, senior
womenGÇÖs administrator and former womenGÇÖs basketball coach Ceal
Barry and the Marching Band will begin at 1:30 p.m. with a program
beginning at 2 p.m.
The program will be followed by an open house and people can
take self-guided tours of the facility. Fans can get a
behind-the-scenes look at the locker rooms, coaches offices, weight
rooms, the practice courts and much more. Coaches and select
student-athletes will be stationed throughout the building at
various points of interest to answer questions and sign
autographs.
A commemorative Pac-12 gift will be handed out and light
refreshments will be available. No RSVPGÇÖs are necessary and
parking will be available in lot 436, the parking garage north of
the Events Center.
The building, which features an improved ticket plaza and
entrance to the Events Center on the northwest side, was recently
honored with LEED Platinum certification, an internationally
recognized green building certification system. It was
developed by the United States Green Building Council in March
2000. As of August 2011, a total of 557 buildings in the
world have met the platinum standard, the highest standard
possible, with 473 of those buildings in the United States.
Of the 473 buildings in the U.S., the practice facility will
be one of three buildings on campus that will meet the platinum
standard, a mark which only 31 other buildings in higher education
have met nationwide to date. The practice facility will be
just the second athletic facility in the country to meet the
standard along with the University of FloridaGÇÖs west stadium
expansion, according to records on the USGBC website.
A total of 14 campus buildings have been LEED certified, with
the practice facility, the Systems Biotechnology and Williams
Village being the three buildings with platinum certification.
The building encompasses 43,000 square feet with two 11,000
square foot practice courts with the exact dimensions of the court
inside the Events Center, right down to the logo placement and
paint scheme.
Each gym has eight baskets and can be used with one full
basketball court, four half-courts or six 3-on-3 shooting areas.
Volleyball can be configured with one court lengthwise or two
crosswise in both gyms.
The two gyms are on different levels with a freight elevator
connecting them. The upper gym will be used as the club room
on basketball game days for donors and other season ticket holders.
The volleyball office will move into the building prior to the
grand opening and the building also houses a new womenGÇÖs basketball
locker room that also features a team lounge.
During construction, over 14,300 cubic yards of mass
excavation took place before 2,900 linear feet of pier foundation
was put in place. The exterior of the building has 12,000
square feet of precast concrete wall panels and 7,000 square feet
of sandstone veneer, blending perfectly with the architectural
standards of the rest of campus.