Clemson University Embarks on Sports Facility Expansion Project > GSA Business

Clemson University Athletics has embarked on a comprehensive women’s sport expansion project.

University officials and invited speakers recently celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony.

Colombian firm Garvin Design Group and national sports architecture firm HNTB have been working with Clemson Athletics on lacrosse, gymnastics and rowing programs since 2020, according to a Garvin Design Group news release. Since then, these teams have produced feasibility studies, concepts and final designs, and continue to provide construction management through completion.

The project includes facilities for Clemson’s existing women’s rowing program and new first-year women’s lacrosse and women’s gymnastics programs, the release said. The completed complex will include a new lacrosse stadium and operations complex, a new gymnastics operations complex and practice facility, renovations and improvements to existing rowing centers, and a new elite athlete recovery center and student-athlete village.

The first phase of the project is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2023, when the gymnastics program will move to its new home.

Garvin Design Group principal and project manager Terry Buchmann said in the release: “And we are delighted to continue her partnership with HNTB for designing. We look forward to promoting women’s sport at Clemson and providing world-class facilities for each of these programs.”

Colombia-based firm Garvin Design Group is acting as the architect for the project, and national sports design firm HNTB is acting as the sports architect, according to the release.

“Being the female designer for this project was especially poignant as it envisioned the future of two first-ever women’s sports teams,” said Liza Brockman, interior designer at Garvin Design Group, in a release. I’m here. “Working with the lacrosse, gymnastics and rowing teams has allowed us to push the boundaries of design.”

Garvin Design Group, a longtime Clemson design partner, has spearheaded a number of track and field projects in recent years, including the renovation of the soccer operations complex and the women’s basketball locker room.

HNTB commands a broad portfolio of sports fields, stadiums, practice facilities, team spaces, elite athlete recovery centers and other facilities for women’s sports across the country, the release said. Their respective portfolios of companies and long-standing partnerships on other campuses promise to provide world-class facilities for Clemson’s new women’s sports program.

“HNTB is honored to provide Clemson and its women’s team with a unique and vibrant vision of architecture,” said Eric Maxwell, lead designer at HNTB, in a release. “HNTB, along with the Garvin Design Group, enjoys collaborating with coaches, athletic and campus leadership in designing world-class facilities that deliver unforgettable high-level athletic experiences.”