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Facility designed and created by Populous and GMB Architecture + Engineering is ready for the Fall 2021 athletics season
Central Michigan University (CMU) announces the completion of the new Chippewa Champions Center in time for summer training and the Fall 2021 athletics season. Located at Kelly/Shorts Stadium and designed in partnership between GMB Architecture + Engineering and Populous, this year-round facility will serve all of Central Michigan University and is a testament to CMU’s commitment to student success and attracting the next generation of Chippewas.
Sitting at over 56,500 square feet, the newly constructed Chippewa Champions Center includes a 7,000-square-foot state-of-the-art weight room, nutrition fuel stations, and an expanded sports medicine and rehabilitation facility. The multi-purpose, flexible meeting and academic space proves CMU’s investment in the training and development of all CMU student-athletes and fills a campus need for meeting and event space.
The $30 million facility also allows CMU’s football program to remain a leader in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Featuring a 4,200-square-foot football locker room, new equipment room, laundry, video operations, and support operations, the new space will support recruitment for the program and transform the game day experience at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
“The Chippewa Champions Center is not only transforming the athletics experience at CMU, but also is a testament to CMU’s commitment to elevating student success and attracting the next generation of student-leaders to CMU,” said Amy Folan, CMU’s Zyzelewski Family Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics. “It's the kind of project that has a positive impact reverberating across our campus and is nothing short of a game-changer for our university.”
Featuring new hospitality and premium spaces, the Chippewa Champions Center allows for revenue generation through hosting outside client, community and donor engagement events. On game days, the 4,000-square-foot Isabella Bank VIP Club offers both climate-controlled and outdoor patio spaces and the chance to be the last to cheer on the Chippewas as they take the field through the center of the club. Located directly behind the north end zone, it is one of the most unique fan experiences in the Mid-American Conference and is located just steps from the Chippewas’ locker room, bringing fans up close and personal to the action on the field.
One of the first MAC schools to offer loge seating as premium seating options for fans, the 16 new loge boxes on the second level offer one of the best premium seating experiences in the Mid-American Conference. These loge boxes offer a best-of-both-worlds blend of a traditional club seat and private suite experience with two TVs in each box, so fans won’t miss a second of the action.
The university celebrated a grand opening event in August by hosting leadership donors and key campus constitutes. Learn more about the Chippewa Champions Center and take a virtual tour at cmuchippewas.com.
About Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University is a nationally ranked institution that fosters the transformative power of real-world learning while embracing a sense of community among its students, faculty, staff and more than nearly 240,000 alumni around the world. Established in 1892, CMU is a major university with a strong sense of community, enrolling more than 17,300 students on its Mount Pleasant campus, online and at satellite locations across North America.
About Populous
Populous is a global architecture and design firm that designs the places where people love to be together, like Yankee Stadium, the London Olympics, and the Super Bowl. Over the last 40 years, the firm has designed more than 3,000 projects worth $40 billion across emerging and established markets. Populous’ comprehensive services include architecture, interior design, event planning and overlay, branded environments, wayfinding and graphics, planning and urban design, landscape architecture, aviation and transport design, hotels and hospitality, and sustainable design consulting. Populous has 19 offices on four continents with regional centers in Kansas City, London and Brisbane. For more information visit www.populous.com or follow @Populous on Twitter.
About GMB
Opportunity for all. That’s the world GMB strives to see. Our integrated team of educational planners, architects, and engineers are just one part of the learning ecosystem that will make that happen. GMB believes education provides transformational opportunities for our communities, industries, and our world. GMB is evolving our business to foster a culture of continual learning inside and outside our organization. As a learning organization structured for ideation, innovation, and sharing of knowledge, GMB’s hubs of experts in Grand Rapids, Holland, and Royal Oak, Michigan, and Indianapolis, Indiana, design and engineer projects throughout North America. Whether in a building or a park, in a course or a career, we believe it takes an ecosystem of people, companies, communities, and ideas to foster learning opportunities for students of all ages. We believe that by investing in our future and creating learning ecosystems, we can provide opportunity for all. Learn more at www.gmb.com.
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