Extensive structural reviews of the ceiling of the University of Georgia’s Stegeman Coliseum have now been completed by several leading engineering firms, and a plan and timeline have been established for repairs of the facility. (Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA photo)
The University of Georgia's (UGA) Stegeman Coliseum, which closed after a chunk of concrete fell from the ceiling in early March, will reopen in time for the next college basketball season, the school announced in late April.
UGA noted that an extensive structural review conducted by several leading engineering firms has been completed, and a plan and timeline have been established for repairs to the facility.
Those repairs will allow the men's and women's teams to compete at their longtime home arena in Athens when basketball season begins in November.
The gymnastics team also will return to the 10,523-seat coliseum next spring after being forced to move a pair of home meets to Gas South Arena in suburban Atlanta near the end of this past season, the Associated Press reported.
The volleyball program, which begins its season before the other sports, will be the only team affected by the repair schedule. It will need to temporarily move to the Ramsey Student Center in Athens, where it played from 1995-2017.
Arena's Everyday Thermal Movement Leading Cause
Stegeman Coliseum has been closed since March 2 after a small piece of concrete fell from the ceiling of the nearly 60-year-old facility. No one was injured in the incident, which occurred shortly after the men's and women's basketball seasons had concluded. With safety being the top priority, the university immediately closed the arena.
UGA News reported that the most recent engineering report by Texas-based Walter P. Moore and Associates Inc. — a peer review of work previously done by Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. (WJE), a suburban Chicago company — affirmed the structural integrity of Stegeman Coliseum. In addition, it agreed with WJE that thermal movement, the daily expansion and contraction of building materials that all buildings undergo, along with misalignment and tight precast joints from the original construction of the facility in 1964 are the primary contributors to recent incidents of concrete spalling.
Crews have already installed scaffolding throughout the facility to begin repairs. Additionally, they are saw-cutting relief joints at the precast corners of the roof and installing a protective mesh to keep any future concrete pieces from reaching the coliseum floor.
Concurrently, engineers are conducting a separate, "global" analysis of the arena's roof, UGA News noted, where a study is being made of the structural impact of the north and south end curtain walls added in 2010, and the large, central scoreboard added in 2017. This further review, to be completed over the summer, should determine whether these factors are also contributing to spalling.
"We are pleased with the solution that has been identified by these structural engineering firms," UGA Athletic Director Josh Brooks said in a statement. "Over the summer, we will begin the planning process for further ways to modernize the facility and substantially enhance the fan and student-athlete experience. I think folks are really going to be excited about all that we have in store."
The 10,523-seat arena opened in 1964 as an all-concrete structure built around two giant parabolas. It has undergone many renovations over the years, including a $13 million project that was completed in 2009.
The giant scoreboard that was hung from the roof six years ago was part of another set of improvements that cost $8 million.
Today's top stories
