Facilities spending is one of the biggest reasons athletic departments in colleges and universities run deficits.
The Washington Post ran an extensive review of the financial records of 48 athletic departments in 2014. The report found $772 million in combined spending for athletic facilities — an 89% increase from the $408 million spent in 2004. These findings are adjusted for inflation in addition to including capital expenses, yearly debt payments, and maintenance costs.
Maintaining facilities for athletic programs can be costly and time-consuming without the aid of fundraising efforts or alumni contributions. Luckily, alternative options are available for your college or university to replace, expand, or upgrade your current athletic or indoor training facilities.
WeatherPort® offers custom-designed fabric structures that offer many cost-saving benefits compared to traditionally constructed indoor athletic facilities.
Fabric buildings from WeatherPort offer many benefits when compared to athletic or indoor training centers made with traditionally constructed materials. Here are nine cost-saving benefits of fabric buildings.
1. Long-Lasting Use
Custom-designed athletic facilities are engineered to withstand location-specific wind and snow loads for safety and long-lasting durability in any climate.
2. Easy to Transport
Lower weight and low-cube shipping of materials reduces transportation costs of the building system.
3. Minimal Foundation Requirements
Minimal foundation requirements allow you to safely install your indoor sports facility on virtually any level surface, reducing the need for costly and timely site preparations.
4. Easy and Fast to Assemble
Unlike other prefabricated building systems, fabric buildings from WeatherPort are designed to be easy to set up. No previous experience or expensive supervisor(s) or labor crews are needed.
5. Minimal Equipment Needs
Minimal tool and equipment requirements reduce the costs associated with construction.
6. Low Need for Construction Help
Reduced construction schedules not only save money for your school’s athletic department; but allow students and athletes to begin training in a fraction of the time compared to typical building construction.
7. Energy-Efficient
Indoor sports facilities from WeatherPort are insulated to meet any R-value, as required by building code for energy efficiency.
8. Highly Portable
Quickly expand, reconfigure, or take down and relocate the athletic training facility as your school’s training needs change.
9. Low to No Maintenance Requirements
Once installed, fabric buildings from WeatherPort are virtually maintenance-free, lowering upkeep and maintenance costs typically seen with traditionally constructed buildings.
Investing in a building solution that requires more upfront and long-term maintenance costs becomes expensive quickly. Instead, why not use high-quality WeatherPort fabric buildings to create or expand your school’s current athletic or indoor training facilities?
[Related: Fabric Buildings Designed for Field Stadiums]
Custom Design Your Indoor Athletic Facility?
You can custom design your fabric buildings from WeatherPort in widths up to 150’, and any length or side-wall height. Our open span building designs do not require interior support columns. This allows you to create training rooms, treatment areas, athletic trainer offices, as well as equipment and supply storage areas.
All fabric buildings from WeatherPort can be custom-designed with logos, building names, school colors, crests, or team mascots printed directly onto the tensioned fabric membrane.
WeatherPort is one of a couple companies in the United States with the equipment and technical know-how to print near-magazine quality prints on tensioned fabric!
[Related: Fabric Buildings Create Innovative Indoor Recreational Facilities]
ATHLETIC FACILITIES FOR SMALLER SCHOOLS
Using fabric structures to create school athletic facilities instead of traditional building materials creates a more level playing field for smaller schools and universities.
In the past, only the longest-established and best-funded schools could afford quality athletic facilities for their students. However, the cost-saving benefits of using fabric buildings from WeatherPort allows smaller and newer schools with a variety of athletic programs the necessary space to provide year-round engagement and training opportunities.
You can even use smaller fabric buildings to accommodate satellite athletic training facilities.
[Related: Outdoor Facilities for Growing Schools]
A MULTIPURPOSE FABRIC BUILDING
When certain sport seasons end, courts and tracks typically sit vacant and unused for months on end unless teams engage in cross or off-season training.
However, you can customize or reconfigure fabric buildings from WeatherPort to support other school activities or functions to maximize their use year-long.
The Maverick Pavilion at the University of Colorado showcases a WeatherPort fabric tension building that are initially used as a student center with a study area, bookstore, restaurant and more. The facility was later relocated and reconfigured as an athletic practice facility.
[Related: Building a Gymnasium or Auditorium With Fabric Buildings]
FABRIC BUILDINGS FOR ATHLETIC FACILITIES
When it’s time for you to expand or renovate the athletic facilities at your college or university, consider alternative building solutions like fabric structures from WeatherPort!
WeatherPort® is a brand of high-quality fabric buildings from Alaska Structures®. If you are interested in learning more about our fabric buildings and remote camp systems please contact us by calling +1 (907) 344-1565 or completing our online form to request a consultation.
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