Clemson University Kicks Off 2019 Tennis Season in All-New Facility
Clemson University’s tennis teams played their first matches of 2019 last weekend inside the school’s all-new Duckworth Family Tennis Facility located in the center of Clemson’s ever-growing campus. The University held a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony in early November 2018 and the Tigers began holding practice in the new facility shortly thereafter.
The new Duckworth Family Tennis Facility is a primary component of the University’s Hoke Sloan Tennis Center – home to the Tigers’ men’s and women’s tennis programs. According to Greenville, S.C.-based Sherman Construction, which provided Construction Management at Risk services for the modernization project, Clemson’s objective was to create a state-of-the-art venue to meet the needs of its tennis programs for decades to come. With the facility’s completion, the Tigers now have the capability of hosting NCAA championship events.
Sherman kicked off the project in 2017, working against a tight construction schedule. Challenges associated with the project’s demanding 12-month delivery schedule were compounded by an incredibly wet winter and spring.
Key trade contractors included DWS Steel Structures, Bonitz Contracting, Carolina Power, McGee Brothers, Southern MEP and Signature Tennis Courts. The entire team worked closely with architects LS3P.
Sherman Construction’s President Andy Sherman noted, “The weather situation impacted nearly all the trades. Despite the unusual amount of weather delays – 17 weather days in February alone – we stayed on schedule. We had carefully selected prequalified subcontractors and vendors early on who remained responsive and flexible as circumstances dictated. Many crews worked multiple shifts, 7 days-per-week, to offset potential schedule delays.”
About the Project
Built nearly 25 years ago, Clemson’s aging tennis center was inadequate on multiple levels. After careful consideration, Clemson opted for total replacement of the indoor tennis facility and associated operations building along with complete refurbishment of the outdoor areas. To accommodate construction of the new-and-improved tennis complex, Clemson’s tennis teams relocated to other venues for practice and matches during the 12-month renovation/expansion.
Clemson’s newly transformed tennis complex reflects a 30 percent increase in indoor court capacity. The overall improvements take the school’s tennis program to a whole new level. The state-of-the-art indoor facility, which features six courts, replaces a smaller four-court facility. The 45,000-square-foot building features an elevated viewing level with bleachers, as well as three separate viewing balconies overlooking the exterior courts. The indoor facility can now accommodate nearly 400 spectators. Outside, Sherman added six tennis courts and replaced the six existing courts – for a total of 12 state-of-the-art courts. The project team also completely refurbished the grandstands and installed new bleachers. The new varsity court amenities include individual electronic scoreboards and an overall match scoreboard.
The new 11,000 square-foot, two-story clubhouse replaces an outdated operations building. Featuring high-end finishes, the new facility provides a wide array of special amenities and incorporates the latest technology. Clubhouse highlights include coaches and administrative offices, pristine locker rooms, men’s and women’s lounge areas for players, sports medicine rehab area, hydrotherapy room, Hall of Fame, and spectator viewing areas of outdoor courts. Additional features include a rooftop plaza with capacity for up to 100 people, public restrooms on the ground level, and outdoor concession stands. Site improvements include an adjoining lot with 80 spaces for guest parking.
Sherman delivered Clemson’s high-quality tennis complex on schedule, within budget and with an outstanding safety record – 60,000 man-hours with ZERO lost-time incidents or accidents. The Hoke Sloan Tennis Center was awarded two Green Globe certifications for environmentally friendly construction. These are the first Green Globe awards earned for construction on the Clemson University campus.
