Orange City, Iowa
Northwestern College Bultman Center
Transforming an underutilized hallway from "catch-all" to "eye-catching"
Boosting An Athletics Identity
Built in the late 1990s, Northwestern College’s Bultman Center features a mix of training rooms and amenities designed to support the student-athletes and staff within its Athletics Department. In 2021, the facility underwent renovations to incorporate a refreshed athletics identity, which included a new gym floor and aesthetic improvements throughout the lobby and hallway areas. What it didn’t include, was a centralized equipment storage area that could not only boost accessibility for its users, but also integrate with the Center’s updated image. Needing an assist, school administrators called Spacesaver to help strengthen their winning foundation.
Look Good, Play Well
Trusted solutions that help athletes stay safe and do their best.
Look Good, Play Well
Trusted solutions that help athletes stay safe and do their best.
Creating A Home Field Advantage
No matter what the intended use of a facility may be, storage is often one of the last aspects considered – if at all – during the design phase. This was the case for Northwestern College, whose athletics staff had been working with a scattered mix of dated static shelving, assorted boxes and totes, and open office space to store their gear. Wanting to bring all these satellite storage spaces into a centralized location, administrators called in Spacesaver’s rep to develop a winning strategy centered around the available space the facility had to offer. Upon assessing their prospects, our rep identified an underutilized hallway located outside of the Bultman Center’s fieldhouse as the ideal location for the college’s new athletic equipment room.
"The hallway was kind of a catch-all with things randomly thrown in there. We didn’t have a dedicated storage space for teams. Some coaches even kept extra gear in their offices, making them cluttered and their equipment hard to track the location of."
- Travis De Jong, Assistant Athletic Director
High-Impact In Small Space
Knowing they were working with a limited amount of available space to house equipment for more than a dozen sport programs, athletic training staff, and promotional teams, our rep chose to employ a Mechanical Assist High-Density Mobile Shelving system to increase capacity for each user’s unique storage needs. Further advancing the versatility of the system, our rep included Spacesaver’s innovative 4-Post FreeSpan™ Shelving.
Designed for use in spaces that need both dependable storage and maximum flexibility, FreeSpan’s patent-pending clip design, allows coaches and equipment managers to adjust their shelving in ¾” increments to securely store as many materials as possible. When paired with our full 4-Post Shelving accessory lineup including hanger bars for uniforms, dividers for helmets, and more, users can be more intentional in the way they store the specialized equipment their student-athletes need to perform at the highest level.
4-Post FreeSpan™ Shelving Brochure
Compatible with all of our 4-Post solutions and accessories, Spacesaver 4-Post FreeSpan™ Shelving is engineered to redefine modern storage by maximizing flexibility, speed, and functionality for its users and the space they occupy.
4-Post FreeSpan™ Shelving Brochure
Compatible with all of our 4-Post solutions and accessories, Spacesaver 4-Post FreeSpan™ Shelving is engineered to redefine modern storage by maximizing flexibility, speed, and functionality for its users and the space they occupy.
A Lasting Look And Legacy
While the new equipment room is stored in a location outside the view of the public, its design upholds Northwestern College’s athletic identity. Outfitted with custom end panels displaying the pride of the Raider faithful, it’s a constant reminder for those who use it – as well as prospective student-athletes – of the level of care and concern the college puts into supporting their sport programs.
Not just for looks, Northwestern College’s mobile storage system is designed for the long-haul. Its durable steel construction, mechanical assist operation, and future-proof FreeSpan Shelving allows it to stand up to any storage challenge the Athletic Department may send its way.
