University of Maine
Arena Feasibility Study and Program of Architectural Requirements
In
August 2005, Brailsford & Dunlavey was selected
by the University of Maine to identify and
evaluate the feasibility of various facility
scenarios for the school's basketball program.
At the time, the University of Maine had a long
and proud tradition with basketball. Many
alumni had fond memories of attending or even
playing games in the court known as "The Pit"
within the Memorial Gymnasium. The Pit was
built in 1932 and eventually became out-dated
for accessibility, seating configuration,
scoring technology, media requirements, and
spectator amenities, so the basketball program
had to look for alternate locations for
competition. After several seasons of playing
off campus at the Bangor Auditorium, men's and
women's basketball games have been played on
campus in the Harold Alfond Sports Arena since
1990. The balancing act of sharing a venue
between such intensive and unique users as ice
hockey and basketball was not sustainable.
The
work plan for the study included interviews;
benchmarking; off-campus research; analysis of
existing space sizes, uses, and locations;
preliminary conceptual design sketches; and
capital project budget estimating. Various
scenarios involving off-campus and on-campus
opportunities and new construction and
renovation approaches were evaluated against
certain criteria. These criteria addressed
reliability of timeline, minimum seating
capacity, student-athlete quality of life,
student fan satisfaction, season ticket holder
satisfaction, financial achievability, and
overall impact to and use of existing
assets.
In its January 2006 report, B&D detailed how the renovation of the Pit would meet all of the criteria with the greatest value to the overall athletic department program and to the University community. It was a significant step toward achieving the department's "Vision 2010" athletic facilities master plan.
Subsequently, in the fall of 2008, B&D was hired to assist the Athletic Department in defining the program of architectural requirements for the renovation of Memorial Gymnasium while confirming potential layout scenarios, seating mixes, and strategic options to achieve the target of 3,000 seats. Next steps consist of continued fundraising and preliminary design, including a structural review to further develop the concept.