Ohio State is constantly improving the Woody Hayes Athletic Center to remain an elite Power Five football training center. The redesign and renovation of the East Wing of the WHAC enhanced the functionality of the building by recapturing underutilized space. The design team was able to insert an entire second level in the facility, nearly doubling the available square footage.
New amenities in the facility include an expanded dining area, a food-preparation kitchen, an athlete lounge overlooking the indoor practice field, a recovery area, an indoor drill simulator, an arcade, a barbershop, a film room and an indoor practice court. All amenities are tied back into existing circulation through a new monumental stair and corridor, which improves athlete circulation and flow to the indoor practice field, lockers and weight training areas.
A storage room expansion allowed for the existing storage area to be redeveloped into a new sport court with direct visual access into the indoor field. The addition was designed to complement the early 2000s look of the existing east wing.
Interior spaces are inspired by the Ohio State athletics brand and a dynamic, raw, contemporary and industrial-inspired aesthetic interspersed with the trademark scarlet and gray of the Buckeyes. Existing finishes in other recently renovated areas of the WHAC were incorporated to seamlessly connect these upgrades into other areas of the facility.
