The University Of Notre Dame has announced an ambitious plan, to expand and renovate their 84-year old stadium, which is called the Campus Crossroads Project. It is the most ambitiousbuilding project in the 172-year history of Notre Dame University.
Notre Dame’s Campus Crossroads Project
The $400 million Campus Crossroads Project includes three massive nine-story buildings on the east and west side of the Notre Dame stadium. The buildings will serve academic purposes but will also house premium seating, which means that the capacity of the stadium will go over 84,000 seats.
The building on the west side of the stadium is going to house a student center, career center and a recreation center, while the two buildings on the east side of the stadium will accommodate a media center and the university’s psychology- and anthropology departments. The new buildings will add around 750,000 square feet (= 69,677 square metres).
The Notre Dame University will also build a six-story high south building which will include a hospitality area, and the Departments for Music and Sacred Music.
Notre Dame’s President John Jenkins thinks the expansion project will take approximately three years to complete and it is expected that the builders will start early 2015. The university has to raise money for the Campus Crossroads Project and will seek donations to fund it.
Notre Dame will also give football fans better access to data and video, for instance via enhanced broadband connectivity and the introduction of video, although those plans still need to be finalized.
Current Notre Dame Stadium
The Notre Dame Stadium was opened in 1930 with a seating capacity of 60,000 and was expanded to 81,000 seats in 1997. It is located at the campus of the University of Notre Dame and is since its opening home to the NCAA team Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Not only ambitious university
Notre Dame is not the only university in the United States of America that has ambitious building plans. Baylor University is building a new stadium which will have a capacity of 45,000 spectators. The estimated costs for this stadium are approximately $250 million.
(Sources: NCAA, crossroads, athleticbusiness)
