[ARTICLE] University of Oregon’s Matthew Knight Arena: Performance Enhanced by Commissioning

by Tracy Van Lone, Director of Client Relations

The Matthew Knight Arena is a 430,000 sf, 12,541-seat multi-purpose arena in Eugene, Oregon and the home of the University of Oregon Ducks basketball teams. It replaces the 1927-constructed McArthur Court commonly referred to as "The Pit" which was known as one of the toughest arenas in the country for opposing players. The Arena’s chief donor is Phil Knight, co-founder and Chairman of Nike, Inc. It is named for his son, who died at the age of 34 in a scuba diving accident.

The Arena was designed by Nike World Campus architect, TVA Architects, who worked closely with Phil Knight.

"Our design directive was clear: to create the most innovative, cutting-edge collegiate athletic venue in the nation - an iconic facility that honors the rich history of Oregon athletics as well as the memory of Matthew Knight."
-Robert Thompson, Partner, TVA Architects

Sr. Associate Athletics Director, Jim Bartko, hoped for a building that by its design would account for two to three wins a year. The new Matthew Knight Arena got off to a great start on Mr. Bartko’s objective with a sold-out crowd at the Ducks' inaugural game on January 13, 2011, beating the USC Trojans 68 to 62.  

The Arena features a competition basketball court including a 32x36-foot, 65,000 pound center-hung scoreboard – the largest in college sports. It also includes two practice courts, five locker rooms, a weight room, training and nutrition facilities, ticket offices and two retail Duck Stores.

Glumac played a significant role working with the design and construction team to attain the Arena’s functional and sustainability goals.

 “As design-phase peer reviewers, our team made recommendations that were incorporated into the project and resulted in reduced energy costs and optimal performance.”
-Mitch Dec, Energy Department Manager, Glumac

During construction, Glumac’s commissioning agents guided successful installation of equipment – testing functionality and energy efficiency of all the HVAC, electrical, and controls equipment and systems. Glumac aligned the building’s systems to function so energy-efficiently that the building ended up applying for LEED® Gold certification instead of their original goal of Silver. Glumac continues to work with the University of Oregon monitoring the Arena’s energy-use – improving operability and reducing maintenance costs.

Airflow at Full-Capacity Events (Basketball, Concerts, Commencement)

Airflow at Partially-Occupied Events (Practices, Camps, etc.) 

"Glumac helped our team resolve unforeseen mechanical constructability and controls system installation challenges along the way.”
-Jeff Madsen, Energy & Utilities Project Manager, University of Oregon

Glumac’s recommendations and contributions to the Arena’s Sustainable Energy features include:

• Isolation of the perimeter concourse HVAC air supply from air to the interior “bowl”
• Installation of occupancy sensors for practice court lighting
• Installation of Big Ass Fans™ for temperature destratification in the arena bowl and practice courts. They are used for air circulation to reduce cooling energy consumption.
• High-efficiency lighting system
• Energy recovery ventilators for free heating/cooling energy otherwise released to the outdoors
• Controls alignment for displacement ventilation across the court surface for low capacity events - such as volleyball practices on the event floor and high school summer camps

Services Glumac Provided:

• Fundamental and Enhanced Whole Building Commissioning
• Energy modeling for both Oregon SEED and USGBC LEED programs
• Energy measurement & verification plan
• Functional testing of all building systems
• Preparation of systems manual for building operators
• Ongoing systems and energy-use monitoring

Glumac’s commissioning efforts confirmed the University would have an optimally functioning arena prior to the first tip-off. For projects large and small, fundamental and enhanced commissioning adds significant project value. Today, the result is a world class arena that successfully replicates the aura and intimacy of “The Pit” in a modern and sustainable form. Garnering industry accolades and national media attention, Matthew Knight Arena is undoubtedly one of the nation’s premier collegiate sports venues.

Owner: University of Oregon
Project Cost: $227 million
Construction Cost:  $195 million
Completion Date:  January, 2011
Design Architect: TVA Architects
Executive Architect: AECOM Ellerbe Becket
Contractor:  Hoffman Construction Company