Bob Carpenter Center addition adds features, helps attract crowds

1:43 p.m., Feb. 21, 2012--The large crowds attending University of Delaware basketball games this season enter the Bob Carpenter Center through its new 45,000-square-foot addition.  For fans, it’s a sight to see.  For the Blue Hen basketball and volleyball teams, it’s home, complete with new locker rooms, offices and practice spaces.

“Anybody who’s been through it has been pretty awed,” said Alan Brangman, University architect and campus planner. He notes the awe is a natural reaction to the addition’s stark contrast with many of the older spaces inside the BCC.  The original building has several tight corridors and windowless rooms, whereas the addition is fronted with a two-story bank of windows.  

Campus Stories

From graduates, faculty

As it neared time for the processional to open the University of Delaware Commencement ceremonies, graduating students and faculty members shared their feelings about what the event means to them.

Doctoral hooding

It was a day of triumph, cheers and collective relief as more than 160 students from 21 nations participated in the University of Delaware's Doctoral Hooding Convocation held Friday morning on The Green.

• Doctoral hooding
• Old Swedes
• Summer SAT, ACT prep
• 'Opus 13' pre-sale

“The whole procession of how you come into the building and experience the space is part of the design, in terms of trying to leave an impression,” Brangman said.

UD Athletics wants to make a good impression on students, fans and recruits. Previously, UD’s facilities paled in comparison to the facilities of many NCAA Division I schools.  Now, recruits see two full-size practice courts for use by varsity teams as well as club and intramural teams, gleaming new locker rooms, each with a team lounge, two film and media rooms and head coaches’ offices with balconies overlooking the practice gyms. 

“We now have that 'wow' factor when we give prospective student-athletes and their parents a tour of what we have to offer," said UD volleyball head coach Bonnie Kenny. 

Student athletes can relax in their lounges or work in the communal study spaces, intended to enhance a sense of community.

“It’s not just about playing the game, it’s about being student-athletes,” Brangman said.

It’s also about getting attention.  The expansion makes it easier to attract tournaments and events, including the first and second rounds of the 2013 NCAA Division I women’s basketball championship tournament.

"We are thrilled to be awarded the opportunity to host a segment of the NCAA Division I women's basketball championship,” said Bernard Muir, director of athletics and recreation services.  “The new addition has allowed us to meet criteria for additional ancillary space that is necessary for hosting an event of this magnitude." 

Article by Andrea Boyle Tippett

Photos by Kathy F. Atkinson and Kevin Quinlan