The Cole Field House project gives William Olen goosebumps.
“This is something special,” the University of Maryland’s capital projects director said as the initiative nears the start of construction.
Provost Mary Ann Rankin and other university officials discussed Tuesday the progression of the Cole renovations, covering topics such as its architectural design and fundraising efforts, officials said.
The university is about six weeks away from beginning construction, Olen said, with the first phase beginning Dec. 22. He said the project is on schedule and a design submission is due in the next couple weeks.
The new Cole — a $155 million project that will house athletic, entrepreneurship and research facilities — constitutes the most notable project Olen’s worked on, he said.
Olen said Cole “will be the only facility in the state” to contain these different departments, making it unique to the campus’s history.
Research projects within the building will focus on four areas: the effects of physical activity on health, the study of human motion, brain processes and head-related trauma and the physical and mental aspects that contribute to elite human performance, said Bradley Hatfield, kinesiology chairman in the public health school.
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Hatfield said these types of research require “team science,” a term used to describe the collaboration of experts across different fields.
“There’s an awful lot of expertise here on this campus, and if we put them all together it will lead to a bunch of creative projects that relate to human motion,” Hatfield said. “The way we’re bringing teams together is much more complete here than around the country.”
The research will combine “a diverse team of investigators” from fields such as physical therapy, engineering, nutrition, orthopedic medicine, biomedicine and neuroscience, he said.
Some research projects will call for the development of new technology and prosthetic devices to assist in health testing, performance tracking, medical treatment and increasing endurance, he said. These gadgets and experiments would not only target athletes, he said, but also firefighters, police officers and military personnel.
“It’s something that could revolutionize the campus in the future,” Hatfield said. “It takes money to get things done, but I’m optimistic that we’ll do it.”
So far, the state has pledged $25 million in funding, and university alumnus and Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank donated $25 million, Hatfield said. Tuesday’s meeting addressed the remaining funds needed to complete the project.
“Cole [would] not be possible without Kevin’s lead gift,” university spokesman Brian Ullman wrote in an email. “Kevin Plank shares the same vision as President Loh in the belief that athletics and academics and research are a powerful combination.”
READ MORE: Board of Public Works approves initial funding for Cole, Clark Hall construction
Hatfield said he remains confident this project will attract the needed donors. And while the idea of transforming Cole into a multipurpose facility incorporating scientific research came only about a year and a half ago, Hatfield said the plans could be realized in as little as two or three more years, depending on how quickly funds are secured.
“Everything in it is related to the future,” he said. “With the study of the brain and how it relates to physical activity, diseases and the quality of life … and the appeal across age groups, it becomes attractive to large and small donors.”
Hatfield said the building will house College Park’s first-ever resident scientists and clinical physicians, who will be able to offer services to sick and injured students on the campus. He said the original concept evolved as a way to offer students beyond-the-classroom insights into different fields.
“It was designed to be a sort of natural lab for them to see the relevance of what they’re learning,” he said. “It might bring their studies to life and make it relevant to their particular interests.”
