Extensive structural reviews of the ceiling of the University of Georgia’s Stegeman Coliseum have now been completed by several leading engineering firms, and a plan and timeline have been established for repairs of the facility.
The best news for student-athletes and spectators is that the repairs can be completed in time for the upcoming 2023-24 Georgia men’s and women’s basketball seasons to be played in the coliseum. UGA’s gymnastics team will also compete in Stegeman for the 2024 season.
Only the Georgia volleyball team, whose season begins sooner, will have to relocate temporarily. Volleyball will compete in the Ramsey Arena of the Ramsey Center, its previous home from 1995 to 2017.
The most recent engineering report by Walter P. Moore and Associates, Inc.—a peer review of work previously done by Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE)—affirms the structural integrity of Stegeman Coliseum. It agrees with WJE that thermal movement—the daily expansion and contraction of building materials that all buildings undergo—and misalignment and tight precast joints from the original construction of the facility in 1964 are the primary contributors to recent incidents of concrete spalling (chipping).
Stegeman Coliseum has been closed since March 2, 2023, when a small piece of ceiling material was found on the floor. With safety being the top priority, the University of Georgia and the Athletic Association closed the facility immediately.
Over the last few weeks, crews have installed scaffolding throughout the facility to expedite work once the plan for repair was validated. Crews will now work to saw-cut relief joints at the precast corners of the roof and install a protective mesh to keep future spalling from reaching the coliseum floor.
In addition, a separate, “global” analysis of the roof, to include the structural impact of the north and south end curtain walls added in 2010 as well as the large, central scoreboard added in 2017, is now underway. This further review, to be completed over the summer, will determine whether these factors are also contributing to spalling.
“We are pleased with the solution that has been identified by these structural engineering firms, who are leaders in the coliseum industry,” said Josh Brooks, J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics. “We are going to be able to reopen Stegeman Coliseum safely for our teams and fans this fall, and over the summer, we will begin the planning process for further ways to modernize the facility and substantially enhance the fan and student-athlete experience. I think folks are really going to be excited about all that we have in store.”
