The Los Angeles Clippers today named the Turner Construction Company as the general contractor on the teams $25 million practice facility project. Construction is planned to begin in January, 2007. An announcement of the specific start date is expected soon.
In making the announcement, Clippers Executive Vice President Andy Roeser said, We have been exhaustive over the course of many months in this selection process, and were confident that we have picked the perfect organization to undertake this project. We look forward to working with the Turner group, and we cant wait to get started.
The 104 year-old Turner Construction Company, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a nationally recognized company and is one of the nations largest builders of educational, sport, commercial, retail, hotel, multi-unit housing, industrial, pharmaceutical, medical, cultural and institutional projects. Turner has a dynamic presence in the Downtown Los Angeles city skyline, starting with the Union Bank Building in 1967, and including the US Bank Tower and the Gas Company Tower in following years.
Turner Construction Company is excited about the opportunity to build the Clippers Practice Facility Project and is proud to be a part of the team, stated Rory DeJohn, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Turner Southern California.
Turner has an extraordinary background in sports practice/training facility construction, having completed projects for the NBAs Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks, the NFLs Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, and Carolina Panthers, and the NHLs Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins.
A longtime vision of Clippers Owner Donald T. Sterling, the teams new comprehensive training center is expected to be completed in the fall of 2007, and will be situated on a two-acre parcel of land within the Playa Vista community on Los Angeles Westside.
Architectural design on the facility was provided by Rossetti Architects of Los Angeles, with Tim Lambert serving as the lead designer. Rossettis list of sports-related facilities includes the Palace of Auburn Hills, Michigan, Detroits Ford Field, and the Home Depot Center, located in Dominguez Hills, California.
A series of design refinements over the past few months has resulted in the Clippers structure increasing in size by 20% to 42,500 square feet.
In addition to two full basketball courts, the two story structure will also house a 2,600 square foot performance and strength training area featuring state of the art cardiovascular and weight training equipment, as well as a training room and an extensive hydrotherapy area. Full locker room facilities for Clippers players and coaches as well as offices for all members of the Clippers Basketball Operations Department will also be on-site.
The facility will be located within close proximity to both the San Diego and the Marina Freeways. About two thirds of the teams current players live within ten minutes of the site.
Playa Vista, the facilitys locale, is the first new community to be established on the Westside of Los Angeles in more than 50 years. The community balances residential, commercial and retail space. Situated about one mile from the ocean, Playa Vista is nestled below the bluffs of Westchester, adjacent to the newly-restored Ballona Freshwater Marsh and within easy reach of Santa Monica, Venice, Century City and the Los Angeles International Airport.