The 'U' has officially selected a well-known master planning firm to sketch out how the school can realistically move forward with athletic facilities in the next 5-15 years.
Athletic Director Norwood Teague said POPULOUS -- a Kansas City-based design and planning firm that has stockpiled an impressive resume both locally and world-wide – was chosen for the job last week.
POPULOUS (formerly HOK Sport) will not necessarily do the specific design for any facilities; rather, it will lay out a loose blueprint of what the 'U' wants to and can feasibly do, and provide precise cost estimates.
Teague has said a basketball practice facility is at the top of the list, along with a new supplemental facility for football, and that it is a "need more than a want." He estimated that the planning phase would take about three months – then Minnesota would hope to move into a design phase with at least some projects.
Other notable projects by POPULOUS:
-Locally, Target Field and TCF Bank Stadium
-Other prominent facilities nation and world-wide, including Yankee Stadium, Wimbledon Centre Court and the Olympic Stadium in London.