Phasing a build so an NBA team kept training
An NBA practice facility had to stay in daily use through a sixteen-month rebuild, so I phased the work around the team's schedule.
The practice facility of an NBA team needed a redesign covering locker rooms, a player lounge, performance and rehab space, and areas for training and coaching. Tellus handled both the general construction and the design. One rule was fixed: the team used the building every day, whatever we did.
No offseason runs long enough to shut a facility like this and rebuild it cleanly. I phased the sixteen-month program to fit the team's operating schedule, rather than ask the team to fit around us. The job was won or lost in the workout areas, in the locker rooms, and in how the phases were sequenced.
On paper the sequence is easy. Holding each trade to it is hard, once pressure to cut corners arrives, since a trade that runs long is felt by the players that very afternoon.
We made the schedule. The program ran about $1.2 million, spread over many small scopes. The team lost no days in the building and the client was very happy. The toughest renovations are those where the client cannot pause their life while you work, which counts for more than technical difficulty.
Story details
| Project | LA Clippers Practice Facility |
|---|---|
| Type | Teaching moment |
| Year | June 2017 to October 2018 |
| Firm telling | on the Common Ground wiki |