MetroPower Partners with DPR Construction and UGA for Practice Facility Expansion
MetroPower joins the DPR team at the University of Georgia (UGA) for the expansion and renovation of Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall on the Athens campus.
Phase 1 of the $80 million project is underway with 110,000 square feet of new construction that will include player locker rooms, a weight room, offices and meeting rooms. Phase 2 will tie the new construction to the existing building and add team meeting rooms, new coach and staff lockers, a players’ lounge and a dining room. The total project is 158,000 square feet.
The first major hurdle was completed with the installation of primary feeder conduits that intercepted an existing manhole. Project Manager Mike Rankin and Superintendent Larry Whitt used an on-site process to prefabricate the duct bank and coordinated the installation with UGA Campus Facilities and DPR Construction. Their preparation and attention to detail helped overcome the unforeseen obstacles of uncharted pipes and concrete over-pours that could have seriously delayed this work.
“Challenging projects always make the job rewarding, and innovation is a large part of successful construction” said Mike Rankin. “Our field-initiated prefabrication piqued the interest of the UGA facilities group, and they are reviewing our process to incorporate it into future design specifications.”
A few fun facts about the project:
- The weight of the copper used for the project is 63,465 pounds, or twice the weight of the entire 2019 football roster (30,455 pounds).
- The total length of copper wire is 191,795 yards, more than 55,000 yards over the total combined yardage of the top ten rushers, passers and receivers for UGA.
- The connected load of the building is 2500 Amps, or about 2,200 KW. The average football player generates 5KW, so it would take 440 players to power the building!
