MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Without question, the $55 million upgrade to the Puskar Center, the home of West Virginia University’s football program, has plenty of pizzazz. From lighted, customized pop-a-shots to sleep pods, a recording studio, a barbershop and more displays, graphics and lighting than a Los Angeles nightspot, the facility teems with glitz.
However, there’s something that’s even more impressive about the interior of the building that sits on Don Nehlen Drive – the thought and planning that went into it.
“It’s got flash; it’s got functionality,” WVU head coach Neal Brown said, highlighting the two sides of the showplace. “We were very intentional with the way we laid everything out, so there was a natural flow through the building.”
One of the biggest pieces of evidence of this is the traffic flow through the redesigned floor plan in different areas. There’s the obvious – the move of the Brohard Hall of Traditions to the front of the building, which will allow fans to access it on game days and much more regularly at other times. Others weren’t as evident until Brown explained them.
Take for example, the “car wash” – Brown’s fun term for the route players take when coming off the practice field. This allows players to dispense with dirty clothes, helmets, shoes and shoulder pads and clean up before they walk through any other parts of the building, thus helping keep the rest of the building spiffy.
“They walk through the mud room, take off all the gear that has an odor, and that keeps it out of the rest of the facility,” Brown expanded. “Each player has room for two pairs of shoes, helmets and shoulder pads. Air blows through (all of that gear). Then they go through jets that wash all the black rubber (infill) from the field off, and then there is a cold tub they walk through to go to the showers, so they get clean before they get to the locker room.”
The same thought process went into the paths different groups may take upon entering the building. Current players can enter at the front left corner of the Puskar Center to get to the large team room or their individual position meeting rooms on the top floor. On game days, recruits can enter there and get to both individual coaches’ offices and a recruit lounge where they can await one-on-one time. (That area also has TVs and the ever-popular pop-a-shot for entertainment.)
Another routes that has changed is for fans who have seats in the Puskar Center balcony overlooking the field. They can enter through the Hall of Traditions, which is on the front right of the building and away from the coaches’ offices, allowing the two groups to avoid crossing paths on game day.
While the revamped building has many new features, it also seems uncrowded. WVU Deputy Athletics Director Keli Zinn noted that was also a factor in the design, highlighting it during a look at the Hall of Traditions.
“We did want to make this more open, and keep space available for future additions,” said Zinn, who also serves as the administrator for the Mountaineer football program.
Brown reinforced that view more than once during a tour of the entire facility, and indeed it was apparent, as the space in many areas, especially the locker room and lounge areas, is notable.
Another item that speaks to the forethought and planning is the use of video screens throughout the facility. Those, rather than static displays, offer flexibility.
“We used video (screens) as much as we can, because we can change those,” Brown explained, using the example of flashing up the daily schedule for the team or putting up customized presentations for recruits on visit days.
Without question, the first things that catch the eye in the Puskar Center are indeed the eye candy. However, underneath that, the functional design also shines, and speaks to the work and forethought that went into it.
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July 25, 2021 at 01:00AM
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Planning, Forethought Hidden Strengths Of WVU Puskar Center Remodel | WVU | West Virginia Mountaineers sports coverage - Blue Gold News
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