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University of Georgia Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall Expansion

Athens, Georgia

Client:
The University of Georgia Athletic Association, Inc.

Project Size:
108,000 sq ft

Recognition:

AGC Build Georgia

ENR Southeast Construction Best Sports/Entertainment Project

Named after two of the University of Georgia’s most famous football coaches—Wallace Butts and Harry Mehre—the Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall complex serves as the everyday home of the University of Georgia Bulldogs.

This 53,000 sq ft expansion and 22,400 sq ft renovation included meeting rooms, a state-of-the-art digital film system, a 12,000 sq ft strength and conditioning area; a 20-yard by 60-yard indoor turf field capable of hosting meetings with up to 500 guests; a 1,900 sq ft student-athlete lounge with game stations, televisions, and home theater-style seating; new coaches offices and meeting rooms; and a new outdoor plaza with built-in slots to hold tent poles in the event of inclement weather. The expansion provided 8,500 sq ft for athletic training, featuring four new HydroWorx therapy pools—one heated to 78 degrees, one cooled to 50 degrees, and two equipped with underwater treadmills—an orthoradiographic digital X-ray system, and two new physical exam rooms.

Due to frequent lightning, the Bulldogs needed an indoor facility so that the team would have more practice schedule options. Facility flexibility was enhanced through the inclusion of roll-up doors, allowing the Southern summer humidity and heat to fill the facility and further test the strength and endurance of the players. The indoor facility is complete with sleds and plyometric machines. The indoor space is also used for ceremonies and banquets and has an adjacent warming kitchen for food preparation.

A special feature of the project is a buried cistern that can hold 135,000 gallons of rain water, which can be used to irrigate the practice fields.