The current construction on Hanner Fieldhouse is focused towards increasing safety for students and improving chances to meet broadcast television standards.

According to Tracy Ham, the Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations, the construction will bring in a new student entrance coming in from the campus. The lobby area will be extended outward for ticketing booths and the addition of new bathrooms. The bleachers inside the stadium will extend to the floor in order to allow fans to easily move in and out of the facility safer and more efficiently.

“We wanted to make some change for our students. We think about our students, because the students are our biggest fan base at games,” Ham said.

According to the International Building Code (IBC), an accessible means of egress, or an unobstructed path to exit the building, must be provided. With this new renovation, Hanner will be more accessible for the handicapped and more handicapped seating will be available.

Hanner will also be receiving new LED lighting fixtures to replace the aged fluorescent lighting. LED lighting creates a different level of brightness to the court’s floors and is a cost effective lighting choice.

“This is not just for basketball, but also for graduations. We have several graduations that take place in this building from High School as well as Georgia Southern graduations,” Ham said.

There will be more televised games inside of Hanner and the new lighting fixtures will help Georgia Southern get as close as possible to broadcast standards.

The construction of Hanner Fieldhouse is expected to be finished by Sep. 1, just in time for the Georgia Southern volleyball team’s home opener against Jacksonville State.