The University of South Carolina Gamecock fans arrive from all over, waiting to enter the Williams-Brice Stadium to soak up the excitement of a collegiate rivalry, spend time with family and friends, take pictures for posterity and revel in the electric atmosphere that college football brings. This experience, enhanced by aesthetically astounding surroundings, makes moments and memories that will last a lifetime. Landscape architecture firm Wood+Partners provided all these experiences in one project: renovations to the Springs Brooks Plaza, part of the grounds of Williams-Brice Stadium.

The Mission
The purpose of this project was to renovate the entire city block encompassing the stadium grounds and enhance game-day experiences; improve pedestrian safety and circulation; and provide public spaces for use on non-game days.

Wood+Partners was hired by the athletic department of the University of South Carolina to be part of the design team that consisted of civil engineers, architects, electrical engineers, structural engineers, and irrigation consultants. Before this team came together, the 14-acre site was almost entirely covered in asphalt paving and impervious surfaces; had unsafe pedestrian circulation mixed with vehicular traffic and parking; and had poorly defined stadium entrances with inadequate queuing.

It was clear that the design integrity of this area needed Wood+Partners help. The requisites of this project included upgraded: paving, monumentation, walls and fencing, pedestrian walks and plazas, stadium entry gates, transoms and columns, vehicular access points, parking and landscaping.
The scope of work that Wood+Partners was ultimately involved in as the project landscape architects ranged from master planning and design, through the construction phase management of all hardscape and landscape elements.

A Direction Comes to Light
Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina receives thousands and thousands of visitors each year for games, entertainment, and student functions within the university. With the stadium being an off-campus site, there was a need to provide design consistency with that established at the main campus.

This would guide the plans that Wood+Partners provided to create a strong visual and aesthetic link between the stadium and the campus. The conversion of a former farmers market into Gamecock Park, a project that Wood+Partners had previously completed prior to Williams-Brice Stadium, was looked at as a possible starting point for the design of this new endeavor.

After careful and thoughtful consideration, it was decided that the design details of the earlier project should be repeated, tying the two sites together. The corresponding elements made the entire area come together beautifully, assuring that the project would provide strong visual references to the core campus area of the University of South Carolina.

 

Breaking Ground
Construction for this project started immediately following the last scheduled football game in November of 2014 and the new Stadium area was opened on September 11, 2015, in time for the first home game of the season.

The scope of the project included many different areas surrounding the stadium that needed to be improved.
This began with the streets surrounding the stadium and included new sidewalks, trees, green spaces, perimeter fencing, walls and strategically-placed monuments that were designed to create separate zones for ticketed patrons and non-ticketed public areas.

New plazas, promenades, and walkways were arranged to specifically guide fans to newly articulated entry points with improved queuing areas. The design also called for new ramps and walkways within the stadium gates that allowed ticketed patrons to circulate internally around the stadium and field, without having to leave the stadium.

To better integrate the game-day experience into the promenade, the non-ticketed pedestrian circulation now connects to the adjacent "Cockabooses" which are privately-owned rail cars that are parked on an inactive spur of the area's railroad and used for tailgating parties.

Vehicular circulation after construction concluded was completely removed from the stadium grounds, with the only exception of access for game-day emergencies, broadcasters and reporters, and service vehicles. The experience and safety of those who would enjoy the newly designed areas were Wood+Partners' priority, next to the revitalization of the stadium entrances and overall appeal of this popular off-campus site.

Challenges
The obstacles faced by the design team were plenty, but it did not take away from the shared goals and vision for this important project.

One of the major difficulties was the scheduling. The project had a limited construction timeframe due to the constraints that it couldn't start until after the football season ended and it had to done by time the next season started. This meant that the team had approximately ten months to complete this
complex transformation.

With the hard work provided by the contractor and the dedication of everyone involved with the process, the Springs Brooks Plaza at Williams-Brice Stadium was completed September 11th, just in time for the season to begin.

Getting Great Reviews
The community has embraced the project. The improvements have transformed this previously industrial-feeling city block into a campus icon, strengthening ties to the University of South Carolina's core campus and helping to revitalize the area.

Gamecock fans and visitors can now circulate around the stadium through new and improved pedestrian promenades with generous plazas, walkways, lawns and open spaces.

But not only that, this beautiful park-like setting with public spaces and four acres of new lawns and plantings is now used throughout the year by college students, local residents and visitors from all over who frequent the stadium grounds to walk, exercise or maybe just to relax and enjoy an outdoor lunch.

Team Members
Client: University of South Carolina
Landscape architecture: Wood+Partners
Civil engineer and project management: Cox & Dinkins:
Architecture: Watson Tate Savory (now McMillan Pazdan Smith)
Site electrical: RMF Engineering:
Structural engineers: Kyzer & Timmerman
Life safety: Aecom