Opened nearly two years after its groundbreaking and six months ahead of schedule, the Wasserman Football Center is home to the UCLA football program. The state-of-the-art training facility spans approximately 75,000 square feet and encompasses the Troy Aikman Strength and Conditioning Center, the Jim and Carol Collins Head Football Coach's Office, locker rooms, a training and treatment room, a nutrition center, hydrotherapy pools and meeting spaces like the Terry and Andrea Donahue Team Auditorium. Other amenities include a barbershop, players' lounge, and recruiting lounge and terrace. Designed to integrate football staff with student-athletes in a shared on-campus space, this project exemplifies the rich heritage of Bruins football.
"This building provides one of the best training facilities in the country. Its state-of-the-art equipment – designed to ensure the health and safety of our student-athletes – also improves their overall experience here in Westwood, allowing them to be at the top of their game and to reach their highest potential," said UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero. "Simply put, the Wasserman Football Center will help student-athletes shape their future and the future of UCLA Athletics."
Certified LEED Platinum®, the Wasserman Football Center incorporates numerous sustainable features, including exterior solar shades, daylighting, motion-sensing LED lighting and rooftop solar thermal water heaters to meet the high demand for hot water in the locker room showers. The facility is connected to the campus’s cogeneration plant, supplying the building with chilled water and steam for a more efficient and cost-effective supply for mechanical uses. The building also features a displacement ventilation system that supplies air at low velocity, reducing electricity and air pressure use while naturally sending cooler air to lower levels. Additionally, the weight room and cardio mezzanine have vertical bi-fold doors that open to the outside and use fans to circulate air inside, creating a more comfortable, air-conditioned-free environment.
Delivering the Wasserman Football Center six months ahead of schedule was no small feat, especially considering the tight site constraints, limited laydown area and the concurrent construction of the nearby Ostin Basketball Center, also constructed by PCL. The logistical coordination challenges were significant and posed major potential delays for both projects if not properly managed. To overcome these logistical obstacles, the PCL teams on both the Wasserman and Ostin project sites collaborated to mobilize subcontractors early and overlap trades where possible.
Along with coordinating internally, the PCL team collaborated closely with UCLA to ensure minimal disruption during construction. One notable achievement was eliminating the need to use the college tennis courts as a temporary laydown area, thereby keeping the facilities in use during construction. This showcased the team's commitment to maintaining campus operations, contributing to the overall success and reception of the project.
The UCLA Wasserman Football Center stands as one of the best football training facilities in the NCAA, demonstrating how strategic coordination, efficient resource utilization and a collaborative team approach can overcome the challenges of building on an occupied campus. The success of this project has left a lasting impact on the program and will continue to attract recruits for years to come.
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