the new byu-i center

For one of my classes (facilities management with Brother Anderson), I was able to tour the BYU-I Center before it opens on December 17.

It was really amazing--it is almost exactly like the big Conference Center in Salt Lake.

Do you see those shiny discs on the ceiling? They actually don't give off any of their own light! They are reflecting light from the spotlights you can see on the sides. The ceiling was so high that it would have been very expensive to purchase the equipment needed just to change a light bulb, so they put up reflective discs instead. I was amazed.

This is a room that has 10 basketball courts that can be divided and also used for soccer, volleyball, and one other sport I can't remember. Do you see the raised track that goes around it? They are connecting this part of the building to the old Hart building so that people can walk back and forth without going through the snow, and that way, the designers didn't need to build whole new locker rooms.

Does that look familiar?

The design is just like the Conference Center, only smaller. The stage has all those same capabilities...and I know you're thinking exactly what I'm thinking...

See those three rows of seating areas? That first row (where we're standing) has 100 more seats than the entire Hart auditorium (which is the current largest gathering place on campus). It looks like just the right size for Rob Gardner to come up to Rexburg!!

I forgot to get a picture of the boys' bathroom...but look how big the girls' bathroom is! It's like an airport! The boys' bathroom only had four stalls, which is why we all thought this was funny at the time. The boys' bathroom had more sinks than stalls.

I really do hope that Rob Gardner will start coming to Rexburg at least as often as he comes to Salt Lake. "The Lamb of God" would be great here, wouldn't it?