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November 17 2021 Vol. XXIII • No. 23
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Rabren photo
The school’s new football performance center, a roughly $92 million effort, includes a 233,400-sq.-ft. overall facility consisting of a 138,100-sq.-ft. football operations building and 95,300-sq.-ft. indoor practice facility.
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Auburn Embarks On Its Largest Athletics Project in School History In east-central Alabama, construction is under way on the largest athletics project in Auburn University’s history. The school’s new football performance center, a roughly $92 million effort, includes a 233,400-sq.-ft. overall facility consisting of a 138,100-sq.-ft. football operations building and 95,300-sq.-ft. indoor practice facility. The project also calls for two full-sized, natural turf football practice fields. “Auburn was on the leading edge for football facilities when the current facility was built in the 1980s,” said Yann Cowart, vice president, sports architecture of Goodwyn Mills Cawood architecture and engineering firm. “Since then, the world of collegiate sports has changed dramatically in a number of ways, including conference expansion, dominance of the SEC, recruiting, player development, wellness and recovery and player retention. “The facility has consciously aligned player development as its guiding principles, while keeping the facility integral to the campus fabric and collegiate experience.” The project will include a weight room, indoor and outdoor practice fields, an equipment lab, a hydrotherapy pool, a player’s locker room and lounge and a teaching lab adjacent to meeting rooms. Cowart said the project would not have been possible without the vision of the university’s president, board of trustees, athletics’ leadership and alumni who share a love for the university and what it represents. According to campus architect David Bess, design lead for the project, “The intent of the football performance center project is to provide the Auburn University football program with the key and essential capabilities and resources needed to successfully compete with its SEC and national peers. “When the project was initiated, Auburn University began a search for an architectural team with specific expertise in designing collegiate football performance and operations facilities for Power 5 conference athletic programs. We knew we needed extensive experience in athletics master planning and successfully executing the design and construction of collegiate/professional football performance and operations facilities.”
By Cindy Riley
CEG CORRESPONDENT
see AUBURN page 2
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Crews Move 130,000 Cubic Yards of Dirt at Auburn University AUBURN from page 1
The two-story building will be located on the site of the old Hutsell track on the corner of West Samford Avenue and Wire Road. “The facility is near other athletic facilities on campus,” said Bess. “It’s visible and located along Auburn University’s new Parkerson Mill Creek Greenway path. The site is easy to find, and it’s walkable to campus. As a result, the center is welcoming to its visitors and is convenient to student athletes, coaching staff and administrative staff that also need access to other areas of campus. “This site’s selection allowed for the design team to maintain an engaged campus experience for the football performance center’s occupants, as well as the common campus pedestrian that walks by the facility on a daily basis.” Construction should be complete by fall 2022. According to Wendy Peacock, Auburn’s director of construction/facilities management, current work involves steel erection. Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) rough-in, ductwork and fireproofing are also ongoing. “Steel will top out in December, and the entire building will be in the dry by March,” said Peacock. “The new team lockers will be installed in July. Prior to the start of the construction of the football performance center, there was a project to demolish the old tennis courts and old Hutsell track. The tennis courts were relocated to the intersection of Hemlock Drive and W. Thach Ave.” Peacock noted that the most time-consuming part of the project was the procurement and installation of the steel structure. “Due to COVID lead times, this hindered any work from really starting until the framing was in place.” Rabren General Contractors is overseeing construction under the direction of lead superintendent Billy Runnels, a 2005 Auburn University graduate. Georgia-based BatsonCook was awarded the earthwork contract, and Evergreen Siteworks of Opelika, Ala., served as a sitework partner. Evergreen Vice President Scott Thomas said work started in August 2020 and was substantially complete in midJanuary 2021. “We were responsible for erosion control, demolition, grading the site, underground utilities, curb and gutter and a small amount of asphalt paving along Biggio,” he said. The main concern for crews involved site utilities.
Evergreen Siteworks photo
Construction should be complete by fall 2022.
Evergreen Siteworks photo
A total of 130,000 cu. yds. of dirt was exported from the site.
“There were a lot of existing utilities that conflicted with the new design, which caused some of the design information to be inaccurate, but the team worked through the challenges well,” he said. Underground utility work included storm drainage, sanitary sewer and water distribution. “Sanitary sewer was difficult, due to having to maintain the flow,” said Thomas. “We had to bypass pump as we made the new connections. Water was a challenge due to boring under Samford Drive, and many conflicts with existing and new storm drainage inverts. Storm drainage was pretty standard work.” Thomas noted that detention system work went extremely well. “We offered an alternative to the design box culvert — an underground detention system provided by Old Castle. The system was certainly an upgrade from the design and allowed us to install the work in a shorter time frame.” Thomas added that underground utility work was a crucial step in the overall building process. “The utilities required to service a structure of this size and purpose are extensive. The main lines must be put in ahead of the building construction, which creates a challenge to perform that work without damaging the utilities. And the work must be installed correctly and in a quality manner, so that repairs/re-work are not required after buildings, paving, etc., is complete.” A total of 130,000 cu. yds. of dirt was exported from the site. “We used two excavators to load 10 to 12 highway dump trucks, which transported the material to a location more
Evergreen Siteworks photo
In east-central Alabama, construction is under way on the largest athletics project in Auburn University’s history.
than seven miles from the site. When the material was received at the ‘dump site,’ it had to be handled to allow room for the trucks to come in and out. A lot of effort went into maintaining the construction entrance, and at times, some of the roadways had to be cleaned.” Prepping the building pads involved using GPS equipment, which has the ability to achieve finish grades of less than +/- one inch. With this technology the work is fairly simple. “The current GPS technology is very advanced. A surface model is created using the existing contours and the design grades. A GPS signal is used to move the blade on the equipment being used to grade (dozers and motor graders), so that the cuts/fills are extremely accurate. This technology can also be applied to excavators for the purpose of digging a trench for utility work to the same accuracy.” Evergreen used a variety of heavy machinery on the job. “We utilized all Caterpillar equipment for our work, including excavators, dozers, compactors and motor graders. Craneworks provided a 120-ton crane for two days while we set the underground detention. ALL Crane used a 300-ton capacity crane to remove the large light towers that were existing on site. Eight-inch pumps were used during the sanitary sewer bypass, and miscellaneous equipment included skid loaders, power brooms and water trucks.” Main materials included silt fence, RCP storm drain pipe, precast concrete storm and sanitary sewer structures, HDPE storm pipe, 24-in. ductile iron sanitary sewer pipe, 8-in. ductile iron water pipe and 825b graded aggregate base. “For this type project, you must have experienced operators, lead men, etc.,” said Thomas. “The schedule requirements make it so you must have a really good work plan with the ability to modify the plan when things do not go as expected.” The undertaking is one Thomas won’t soon forget. “This was one of the larger sitework projects the university has ever let, and with the scope of the buildings and fields, I have no doubt it is one of the largest overall projects in Auburn history. It ranks as our fourth largest project ever, and while it presented quite the challenge, proper planning allowed us to meet the required schedule and perform the work in a safe and quality manner. “It’s an extreme source of pride for all who have participated in the work to see the end product that will be a valuable asset for Auburn football for many years to come. Also, Batson-Cook is made up of some of the most ethical and knowledgeable people in this business. It was a great pleasure to work with them and their team on the project.” Cowart added, “This is a bucket list project for all involved. Anytime you have a chance to be part of the team’s success in the future years brings pride and reward to the effort placed on every detail.” CEG
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Gulf Coast Eco Center Could Make Area Into Research Hub Years of dreaming, planning and patience finally came together Oct. 27 with a unique groundbreaking for the Gulf Coast Center for Ecotourism and Sustainability (Gulf Coast Eco Center) in Gulf Shores, Ala. Local students joined members of the community and special guest Jean-Michele Cousteau, son of the late oceanographer and underwater filmmaker Jacques Cousteau, for the ceremony. The younger Cousteau is himself a world-renowned filmmaker and ocean advocate through his Ocean Futures Society. The Gulf Coast Eco Center is a nonprofit organization based in Gulf Shores with the mission to promote sustainable tourism, raise environmental awareness and encourage the stewardship of the coastline’s natural resources. The nonprofit has partnered with the city of Gulf Shores, Gulf Shores City Schools and Cousteau’s Ambassadors of the Environment to develop an Eco Center funded through $9.7 million in RESTORE Act funds. It will be located adjacent to Gulf Shores City Schools and Gulf State Park and offer a range of camps, classes and recreational activities for school groups, residents and visitors. The ecological campus has been designed to preserve the unique site and its natural features, which includes a long leaf pine savannah, 20 acres of wetlands and sand pine and oak forests. The build site is contiguous with 100 acres of mostly wetlands owned by the city Gulf Coast Media reported that seven buildings (or hubs) will be dotted throughout the complex, and will include: • A welcome hub with classroom and staff offices. • A Gathering hub that will offer a large space for hosting events. • A Maker hub for crafts and project-based learning. • A Farm hub for hands on work growing food, native plants and composting. • A Wetlands hub to teach wetlands ecology. • A Mobility hub that will house bicycles for riding on trails and a space to work on the bikes. Project for Today’s Children, Tomorrow’s Leaders After Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft, Cousteau and school administrators spoke at the groundbreaking, the event moved into the woods adjacent to Gulf Shores High School’s practice field. There, students, teachers and members of the Eco Center team collected reindeer moss, dug up and potted small pine trees and native plants such as false rosemary, rather than simply remove the native plants with shovels. According to Gulf Coast Media, city crews will soon begin removing larger trees and plants from the building site before construction of the center begins. The plants will be cared for and replanted once the project is complete. An effort has been made over the last two years to allow Gulf Shores City School students to enjoy classroom time outside with regular trips into Gulf State Park, the beach, the dune and lagoon to learn and those opportunities will expand once the Eco Center is complete. “This facility is being built for you so that you can continue the learning that is started in the classroom, and you can continue that outdoors,” noted Stephanie Harrison, assistant superintendent of the school system in her remarks to the students in attendance at the groundbreaking. “When this facility is built you will have the opportunity to garden, compost, take nature walks, learn about the birds, plants and animals that make up this beautiful environment that we are so fortunate to live in,” she continued. “I believe
Melanie LeCroy/Gulf Coast Media photo
Jean-Michele Cousteau toured the site for the Gulf Coast Eco Center with students during the ground saving event. Students collect reindeer moss and other native plants that will be cared for until being replanted after construction is complete.
that if you are in nature learning and engaged in science every day you will build a relationship with the environment that will carry you forward the rest of your life. The lessons you learn today you will pass on to future generations. This environment is important, and we do not want to take it for granted, and we need to care for it every day.” Craft echoed Harrison’s comments when he stressed the idea of protecting the local environment for today’s children — the decision-makers of tomorrow. “We have to protect our world, or it will disappear by our own hand,” he said. “We have seen that throughout our country where there have been environmental disasters and lack of focus on protecting the things that are important to us. These youngsters want to grow up and enjoy the same wonderful things we have been able to enjoy in this community.”
The Gulf Coast Eco Center campus has been designed to preserve the uniqueness of the site using local materials and will be located adjacent to Gulf Shores City Schools and Gulf State Park. It will offer a range of camps, classes and recreational activities for school groups, residents and visitors.
Cousteau in League With Eco Center The Gulf Coast Eco Center developed a partnership with Cousteau to develop its educational curriculum. In fact, Gulf Shores is the newest outpost for Cousteau’s Ambassadors of the Environment program. Other stations can be found in Hawaii, California, the Caribbean, the Maldives and Mexico. Cousteau and his team spent a week in Gulf Shores meeting with city leaders, exploring the local area and engaging with students, the local news source reported. He said he is excited to see that the work he and his father have long championed is resonating with young people. “What is happening is the future decision makers are making much better decisions already,” he explained. “Thanks to what I call the ‘communication revolution,’ we are connected to each other. Now we can get information which I could not get when I was their age. It means that today we are in a position to do much better than we used to, and I am more recharged with hope than I have ever been. Places like this are special because they are connected at the same time to the ocean, land, saltwater, freshwater, animals, plants, and forest. If you protect the ocean, you protect yourself.” Construction Set for Early 2022 The Gulf Coast Eco Center project will go out to bid in the upcoming months, but the city is now beginning work on the road access and groundwork. City officials expect construction to start at the beginning of 2022 with hopes it will be complete sometime in 2023. The city of Gulf Shores’ total RESTORE Act funding, generated from a settlement with BP following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, is $41.8 million, of which $4.4 million is being used to extend the nearby Fort Morgan Trail, $5.9 million for the Little Lagoon Restoration project, and $21.7 million for local traffic capacity improvements, including Canal Road.
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