Athletics unveils $31.5 million training facility
A view from the west side of Rice stadium looking at the south wall of the proposed Brian Patterson Sports Performance Center. The rendering reveals a walkway and a concrete ramp that leads to the field. The walkway will provide sightlines from the north endzone, and all tarped seating on that side will be removed.
The Rice Athletic Department recently announced the proposed construction of a new student athlete development building. The Brian Patterson Sports Performance Center will be located at the north end of Rice Stadium and will cost $31.5 million to build. The 60,000 square-foot building will house a weight room, a home team locker room, staff offices, an auditorium, a football team lounge and areas dedicated to training and sports medicine. These facilities will be available to all Rice student athletes.
According to Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard, these renovations will benefit students and coaches on and off the field.
“The Brian Patterson Sports Performance Center affords our student athletes and coaches a better environment for training and medical care than we currently offer,” Karlgaard said. “I believe our football players and other athletes will be better prepared and healthier as a result of the new building.”
Karlgaard said that these facilities will also help recruitment efforts.
“I hope young men and women who seek a world class academic and athletic experience will see this facility as a key component of their skill development,” Karlgaard said.
The tarp-covered area that encompasses the north end of the stadium will be demolished to make room for the building. The existing scoreboard will also be removed and will be replaced by a new one that will be on top of the new center.
According to Karlgaard, however, these renovations will not reduce seating capacity.
“I’m not sure this facility will have a tremendous impact on our fan experience,” Karlgaard said. “We are working towards further renovations that will create an excellent atmosphere for spectators in our stadium.”
The Dallas-based architecture firm HKS will be designing the new building. HKS designed Cowboys stadium in Arlington, Texas and Lucas Oil Stadium, the home of the Indianapolis Colts.
Donors have pledged the funding necessary for construction, which will begin in early 2015 and will be completed in time for fall 2016.
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