A Testament to Style and Function

Across the University of Oregon campus, Spacesaver has helped create athletic equipment storage systems that protect valuable assets, streamline workflows, and boost team pride. Nowhere is this more evident than at the new Marcus Mariota Sports Performance Center, which has been hailed as “a testament to style and function.” The facility features 2.5 miles of Spacesaver drawers and shelving housed in visually stunning Spacesaver compact mobile storage systems.

Equipment Room Walk Through

For many university football teams, the simple days of “home” and “away” uniforms are over. This is particularly true at the University of Oregon, where new uniforms are issued weekly. The team’s equipment managers were struggling to keep up with the thousands of objects they needed to store, retrieve, issue, and collect every week over the course of the season.

Thanks to a generous gift from Phil and Penny Knight, staff was able to design a new facility that’s as functional as it is attractive. During numerous planning meetings, the Portland-area Spacesaver consultant met with the project team to determine the team’s needs, gain an understanding of the planned construction, and help determine how to maximize the available space.

Aaron Wasson, director of equipment operations, worked with his staff and the Spacesaver consultant to analyze workflows, measure items that needed to be stored, and estimate future storage requirements. “We spent hundreds of hours designing the Spacesaver systems, how each of those spaces would look and feel, and how they would function,” he said. He added that the Spacesaver consultant provided advice and insights based on the company’s experience with other large equipment rooms.

Helmets are prepped, stored, and maintained in “The Armory,” a purpose-built room featuring mirrored Spacesaver cabinets mounted on a high-density mobile system. Face masks are stored on Spacesaver shelving concealed behind roll-down doors.

The design team decided to create a mezzanine due to the building’s long and narrow footprint. The ground floor stores items for daily use, while the upper level, which is less frequently accessed, stores surplus items as well as items that will be needed later in the season.

Recruitment WOW

While the primary goal was to store large amounts of gear in one place, another goal was to impress recruits. Custom graphics mounted on the Spacesaver units have had an immediate impact, said Aaron Wasson. “It’s a huge ‘wow’ factor when the recruits walk in,” he said.