Much of modern arena design caters to the VIP experience, but a recent $56 million renovation of the University of Michigan's competition basketball venue included one element that has made students feel pretty important, too.
Much of modern arena design caters to the VIP experience, but a recent $56 million renovation of the University of Michigan's competition basketball venue included one element that has made students feel pretty important, too. Those entering the Maize Rage student section at Crisler Center do so through a vomitory framed by front-lit glass painted maize from behind, creating a vibrant destination point along the concourse. Designers even specified for this area an expanse of maize terrazzo inlaid with the Michigan emblem. "There are dozens of vomitories in the arena, but just being able to do this at one makes it special without adding too much cost," says Ernest Joyner, principal at Denver-based Sink Combs Dethlefs, which served as arena design consultant to architect of record TMP Architecture in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. "It plays into the Maize Rage theme and creates a distinct identity for students."
