The 17,000-seat arena has the requisite modern features and technology, yet it maintains the collegiate atmosphere beloved by alumni. Comcast, which will be used primarily for men’s and women’s basketball and campus events, replaces 45-year-old Cole Field House.
“Our mandate was to retain all the glory and tradition of Cole Field House, while offering modern amenities to Terps fans,” said Brad Clark, lead designer for Ellerbe Becket. Clark also was lead designer on Washington D.C. ’s MCI Center, and he’s one of the designers on the new University of Virginia arena.
The majority of Comcast’s seats are arranged along the long sides of the court. Students, however, get slightly closer to the action in 1,500 seats that ring the court. For those more competitively inclined, a dramatically steep, 2,500-seat section looms over the opposing team basket during the second half.
There are 20 suites and 4,000 club seats. Televisions line the concourse and the scoreboard tracks each player’s stats.
Comcast exemplifies a trend toward consolidating entire athletic programs into one facility. For the Terrapins, even media relations and the team store are integral to the program. A practice gym can be used for banquets or as a competition venue for volleyball and wrestling. Weight training, sports medicine and the all-important academic support and career development center complete the package.
Ellerbe Becket teamed with Design Collective of Baltimore to provide architectural services. The design team was a marriage of Ellerbe Becket’s national and international sports experience with Design Collective’s academic experience.
Other current Ellerbe Becket collegiate projects include new arenas for Gonzaga University, the University of Miami (Fla.) and the aforementioned University of Virginia. The firm is working on new and renovated football stadiums at the University of Oregon, University of Connecticut and Texas Tech University. Ellerbe Becket has designed 15 NBA/NHL arenas.
Design Collective is a multidisciplinary design firm with significant academic projects underway at five University of Maryland campuses. One of Baltimore’s largest firms, Design Collective internationally provides architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture and graphic design.
An innovator since its founding in 1909, Ellerbe Becket is a leader in architecture, engineering and the construction industry with office locations worldwide.
Contact: news@ellerbebecket.com
