Bob Carpenter Center Addition

The Bob Carpenter Center (BCC) is the home of the University of Delaware’s basketball program.

Opened in 1992, “The Bob” has a seating capacity of 5,000 for Blue Hens’ games. The facility also hosts concerts and graduation ceremonies. Most recently, the BCC played host to the Delaware US Senatorial Debate.
As the athletic program expands in notoriety, the University has committed to improve its facility to stay ahead of the competition among peer institutions.

To this end, a 50,000-square-foot, two-story addition was developed to house dedicated basketball and volleyball practice gyms, along with team-specific locker rooms, lounges, video rooms, coaches’ offices and administrative support spaces. The main entrance consisted of a two-story grand lobby, which doubled as the basketball and volleyball Hall of Fame.

BKM provided the MEP design for this addition as well as the infrastructure upgrades to the existing BCC. The updated utility plant consisted of 1,000 tons of chillers and 20,000 MBH of boilers. Multiple variable speed distribution loops were developed to enable the University to serve / isolate any of the (3) primary building functions: 1) The Bob Carpenter Arena, 2) the various administrative / support spaces within the BCC, and 3) the new addition.

The project was designed with multiple bid-packages to facilitate a fast-track construction process, ensuring it was facility-ready for the start of the 2011 basketball season.