The goal of the $5-million locker room renovation was to not only modernize the space, but also to rival those found in top NCAA programs, serving as a point of pride for the athletes as one of the best off-the-court spaces in college basketball. In addition to expected upgrades to showers and toilets, the extensive renovation also included spaces that maximized the locker room’s use, including a nutrition and beverage station, therapy areas, a media room for press conferences and interviews, team meeting and video space, a player’s lounge and separate locker areas for players, coaches and staff. “With so many wet areas and surfaces that required frequent cleaning, tile installations were a prominent part of the overall project,” said Nyle Wadford, president of Neuse Tile service, the National Tile Contractor's Association (NTCA) Five-Star Contractor chosen for the project. “It was crucial for our team to be able to rely on the performance of Laticrete products when dealing with so many different installations on such a multi-faceted project.”
The project presented a few different challenges the teams would have to face. First was the high-profile nature of the project. The University of North Carolina’s basketball team is one of the most prestigious, earning a top 10 national ranking year after year and producing many NBA athletes. Neuse Tile knew from the outset that this facility would double as a recruiting tool and a functioning facility for the basketball team, so the space would need to “wow” visitors while withstanding heavy everyday use. Because of changes in preferences and long lead times on the materials that were originally specified, the project experienced multiple tile changes. Neuse Tile was called upon to find new sources for products with narrow variance. With each change, hard samples had to be sent out of state for approval from the design team and project committee.