Clemson University Allen N. Reeves Football Complex | Clemson, South Carolina

The 142,500-sq.-ft. facility was constructed adjacent to Clemson’s Indoor Football Practice Facility and the existing outdoor practice fields, bringing all football activity into close proximity and allowing for more efficient daily operations. Amenities and features include:

• Locker facility with a 25,000-sq.-ft. weight room and 50-person plunge pool and hydrotherapy pools
• Recovery and nap rooms
• Dining facility
• X-ray suite for the occasional injury
• 15-foot-high and 20-foot-long slide that takes a person from the second floor down to the first floor
• An outdoor village, complete with sand volleyball courts, basketball court, miniature golf, wiffle ball court, an outdoor kitchen and grill station, water feature, and a fireplace
• A player’s lounge that features an indoor golf simulator, bowling alley, laser tag and video arcade, plus a barber shop
• A 24-seat HD theater and a production studio
• Replica of Clemson’s famous Death Valley hill
• Coaches offices and conference spaces, including position meeting rooms and a recruiting war room
• Training room
• Equipment room
• PAW Journey, an extended learning facility to connect student-athletes to industry for life after football

Building a state-of-the-art facility in only 13 months while honoring the team’s stringent football practice and game schedule just in time for the new recruiting season proved challenging. With 80+ subcontractors in place and 200+ workers on site at any given time, the team managed numerous steps and logistics to finalize the project two weeks ahead of schedule.

Virtual Design and Construction

The best way to avoid surprises came from DPR’s estimating and scheduling process. DPR used a 5D building information model-based system that was optimized to work more efficiently on site. Combined with the fact that HOK/GMC and their engineering partners, RMF, were on site daily, changes and clarifications of design were able to be reviewed, approved and implemented quickly, keeping the project on track with an already tight schedule.

Safety

At Clemson, the team implemented a number of safety measures, such as laying down a graded aggregate base that created a safer walking environment for the crew and installing a tent to serve as a break area that would shelter workers from intense South Carolina summer heat. Additionally, by installing the structure steel quickly, the site’s canopy was able to be installed sooner and provide even more shade during work hours.

First impressions are everything, whether you’re an athlete trying to get recruited by a stellar school or a school trying to recruit a stellar athlete. The new Clemson football complex is designed to do just that while also demonstrating Tiger pride. From the expansive and welcoming entrance draped in the school’s colors of orange and purple to the enormous weight room devoted to the team’s strength and endurance training, the facility has a specific design component to bring to life Clemson Football as well as a representation of Clemson Athletics.

This project achieved LEED Silver certification.