LSU Basketball Practice Facility
Gate Precast

Involved Companies

Background

The project consists of a 58,960 gross square foot addition to the existing Division 1 University Basketball Arena. The building addition includes two new practice courts for the Men's and Women's Basketball teams, storage, restrooms and a new 2-story Entry Lobby with ample space for displaying the team's legendary players and past championships. A grand stair ascends to a large multi-function / banquet room fronting the arena concourse. The addition also includes: locker rooms, team viewing rooms, team lounges, and general meeting rooms.

Challenges

The major challenges facing the designers for this facility included creating an addition to an iconic structure that in no way lended itself to expansion. Its oval footprint, four massive arching ramps, and exposed skeletal frame offered few choices for immediate attachment. Our solution involved elimination of two ramps to clear way for a aesthetically appropriate addition to the 1970's arena that would compliment its original form, solve the functional program, and prolong the viability of the complex. New precast concrete stair stadia served the egress requirements for the building in a fraction of the space occupied by the original ramps.

The original structure is a cast-in-place concrete frame with painted cement plaster and gunite wall panels. With the local high humidity and rainfall levels paired with warm climate, mildew is a constant problem on buildings. White buildings fare the worst. This addition faces due North and was subject to the such assault.

Innovations/accomplishments

Our two major design obstacles were overcome with the choice of architectural precast cladding during design. We were able to create a building form that acted as a natural extension to the futuristic form of the original arena, utilizing sweeping curved faces and prismic shapes. Our goal was to create a building extension that appeared to be original to he arena's concrete design, all the while meeting an aggressive construction deadline. The application of steel structural frame and architectural precast cladding cut more than twelve months of the estimated construction schedule for cast-in-place concrete and save an estimated $500,000 in foundation cost.

At the same time, we wanted an upscale presentation with contemporary finishes that would endure and resist the impact of our adverse climate. To overcome the inevitable north-facing mildew problems, we specified the use of a self-cleaning photocatalytic titanium dioxide admixture, reportedly for the first time in the USA. The admixture used was ESSROC TX Active by Italcementi Group.