UCLA announced plans to build a new football practice facility last September and Wednesday that vision came one step closer to reality. The school released preliminary renderings for the new $50 million building.
UCLA chose ZGF Architects LLP — who completed a football performance center for the University of Oregon in 2013 — to construct the new facility next to Spaulding Field, where the football team currently practices. The building will feature a new locker room, athletic training area, coaches’ offices and strength and training space.
“This is an exciting project that will continue to propel UCLA football forward by allowing our coaches and student-athletes to teach, learn and develop in a state-of-the-art facility,” athletic director Dan Guerrero said in a statement.
Since the facility was announced last year, UCLA has campaigned to raise $40 million in private money to help fund the project, which puts the project $10 million away from the estimated $50 million price tag.
While the new facility is only a small upgrade for UCLA when compared to some its rivals, the project will help the Bruins to catch up in the Pac-12 facility arms race.
In recent years, the University of Washington completed a $280 million project to upgrade its stadium, while Cal spent $153 million on its new football stadium. Meanwhile, Oregon most recently spent $68 million on its most recent renovation.
“In college football, you pick [your players], but they’ve also got to pick you. Facilities do become important,” head coach Jim Mora told the Los Angeles Daily News. “The aesthetics become important.”