With the heavily anticipated renovation to the Stephen C. O’Connell Center coming soon, there were bound to be leaks of the new additions.
But what Sports Illustrated’s Tim Newcomb published surpassed anybody’s wildest dreams for what a new O’Dome would look like. Unfortunately for dreamers, the designs belonged to the losing bidder NBBJ, a company connected to the fledgling project to renovate Kentucky’s Rupp Arena as well as UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion.
Instead, the winner was a combination of Davis Architects, Gainesville-based Charles Perry Partners Inc. (CPPI) Construction Management and TLC Engineering. The school announced that the trio met for the first time Tuesday.
Davis Architects is a firm based in Birmingham, Ala., that has done work on both endzone expansions at the University of Alabama’s Bryant-Denney Stadium as well as the design of Auburn Arena, which is Auburn’s new basketball facility. Other clients include the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Samford University, Birmingham-Southern College and Georgia State University.
Davis has worked with UF and specifically the O’Connell Center during the 18,500 square foot expansion of the gymnastics practice facility in 2012. The renovated space earned a LEED Gold rating.
CPPI has done most of the recent renovations or expansions Florida fans and players enjoy with the current facilities on campus including the Southwest Recreation Center, the locker room at McKethan Stadium and the Heavener Football Complex.
CPPI also built the basketball practice facility and is responsible for both the 2003 and 2013 renovations to the west side of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
The indoor tennis facility that CPPI worked on also bears the name of the company namesake Charles R. Perry and his wife Nancy.
Tallahassee-based TLC Engineering has worked on numerous projects across the state, including Florida International’s football stadium, PGA national resort and spa, the Amway Center and the Citrus Bowl.
The company specializes in engineering projects related to airports and hospitals, which make up the bulk of TLC’s design portfolio.
In June, athletics director Jeremy Foley stated that the O’Connell Center renovations are still $15 million away from a price tag that should exceed $50 million once all work has been completed, which would make the renovations the priciest UAA facility overhaul since the $52 million expansion of the west side of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in 2003.
If the project goes as planned and the funding stays on track, renovations will be finished by the end of 2015. The construction would displace teams that compete in the O’Dome in the fall like the basketball teams, which will presumably play games in other sites across the state during that time.
The University of Florida announced Tuesday that the team of Davis Architects, CPPI Construction Management and TLC Engineering will begin meeting to discuss the renovation of the O’Connell Center, which will occur after the 2014-2015 season.
