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The arms race that is facility upgrades within the world of SEC football is almost non-stop. The Georgia Bulldogs have been no strangers to this race, and it looks like they’ve got plenty of new equipment to work with this year.
Front Office Sports shared photos Tuesday featuring some of the upgraded facilities that have been completed as part of the face-lift given to Butts-Mehre. Per the outlet, the new features include 136,300 square feet of new space, a new locker room, a player’s lounge, a plunge pool, a nutrition bar, a barbershop, a sensory deprivation tank and a weight room with a double-sided video board.
Georgia Football has unveiled the new $80 million renovations to Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall ?? ? 136,300 sq ft of new space ? New locker room ? Player’s lounge ? Plunge pool ? Nutrition bar ? Barbershop ? Sensory deprivation tank ? Weight room w/ double-sided video board pic.twitter.com/ANbC7dWWEe
According to a press release by HOK, which helped design the facility, the design creates three floors of high-performance training experiences for student-athletes and coaches. The modern, amenity-filled space will also support UGA’s efforts to continue to recruit and retain top talent.
“DPR [Construction] was proud to work alongside HOK to deliver such an amazing facility. We worked tirelessly to incorporate the needs of this championship program while still giving them the room to grow for the future,” said Lauren Snedeker, DPR senior project manager, per HOK. “The completion of this facility presents new opportunities for UGA to build on the football program’s already rock-solid foundation.”
The field level of the facility includes a new locker room with a central private player’s lounge, equipment room, plunge pool and nutrition bar. A player corridor between these spaces connects to the Bulldogs’ indoor practice facility and two adjacent outdoor fields. The corridor features rich wood tones, sleek metal details and large-scale video displays highlighting Georgia alums who have played in the NFL.
The player corridor includes a uniform display room accessible by facial recognition technology. This room has black mirrored acrylic walls and faux leather vertical panels that slide to reveal UGA uniforms and athletic gear.
On the northwest side of the first level, a new entry greets athletes and recruits with a black and red trophy display. Upon entry, players are greeted with a central player-centric space which includes a dining space and demonstration kitchen and a player’s lounge offering comfortable seating, entertainment and 360-degree views of key player development spaces.
The player development spaces include a weight room, sports medicine facility with hydrotherapy and recovery spaces, an all-team auditorium, team meeting spaces and views to the indoor field. The double-height weight room features a dual-sided video board and a plyometric stair connecting to the field level. Floor-to-ceiling windows in the weight room overlook the outdoor training fields, which in combination with clerestory windows fill the weight room with natural light.
The second-floor houses staff offices, conference rooms, player support offices, an expanded video suite and a cardio mezzanine level overlooking the weight room. A multipurpose lounge overlooking the indoor field provides a flexible space for entertaining athletes, recruits and their families.
“Throughout the project, the DPR/HOK team remained dedicated to the project goals. Even when the global pandemic presented obstacles, they came together with our partners to stay on track,” Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks said via HOK’s website. “This signature facility will now better support the goals of the university and our athletic association while most importantly focusing on the health and well-bieng of our student athletes.”
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