The Challenge
Vanderbilt University’s historic Memorial Gym was showing its age. The locker room areas of the 70-year-old building were dark and disjointed with inefficient layouts. When the university administration embarked on a $300 million campaign to upgrade its sports facilities, they declared a “new day for Vanderbilt basketball” by promising their men’s and women’s teams the best facilities in the SEC—a real investment in the school’s student athletes.
How We Helped
Recruiting Environments
Branded Environments
Content Strategy
Technology Integration
The Strategy
Vanderbilt’s chief goals were to breathe new life into the old locker rooms and transform the energy of the interior spaces to honor the team’s legacy. In coordination with the GMC team, the space was reimagined to be more functional and allow for all the modern amenities. The materials and finish palette work together with the branding, displays and graphics to create a sophisticated, unified brand experience.
Now, the men’s and women’s basketball teams enjoy modern and bright locker rooms wrapped up in a sleek reimagining of the Vanderbilt brand. The walls are clean-white with traditional black and gold accents, including the iconic Star-V logo as a prominent display element. The updated facilities create a more open and comfortable locker room space with new features such as a players’ lounge and areas for nutrition and grooming.
Men's Basketball Locker Room & Lounge
The Players' Corridor
The Impact
The before-and-after photos tell the story of Vanderbilt basketball’s “new day,” as the transformation of the team facilities represents a massive change for the better. Visiting former players have even been brought to tears by the new locker rooms. By committing resources to modernizing the aging Memorial Gym, Vanderbilt has revitalized their brand as a story, while remaining faithful to a setting that is sacred to both players and fans.