JMU Atlantic Union Bank Center & East Campus (Ballard) Parking Garage

JMU ATLANTIC UNION BANK CENTER & EAST CAMPUS (BALLARD) PARKING GARAGE

The Atlantic Union Bank Center
Located on the corner of University Boulevard and Carrier Drive, the Atlantic Union Bank Center sits on a prominent corner of campus and ushers in a new era of basketball and other indoor events for James Madison University.

The Atlantic Union Bank Center seats 8,500 for basketball games, including various premium seating experiences never previously available for enjoying a JMU basketball game. It features state-of-the-art technology such as video boards, lighting and sound. The Atlantic Union Bank Center will play host to numerous other university and community events, such as commencement, concerts, trade shows and more, with floor seating for such events putting capacity at 10,000. The new facility provides the Harrisonburg – Rockingham County area a state-of-the-art venue for trade shows, concerts and other large gatherings.

Features of the facility include a club area, courtside seating with a designated private courtside hospitality area, state-of-the-art lighting and audio/video technology including a center-hung scoreboard and upper concourse ribbon boards, a student club area, expanded concessions and restroom availability, a multipurpose group event space, a team store and an in-house restaurant.

Premium Experiences
The Atlantic Union Bank Center features a variety of premium seating experiences and offerings never previously available for JMU basketball. Up to 500 guests can enjoy the pregame and in-game amenities provided in the arena club, including a bar and food offerings. Two suites, one flanking each side of the club, offer an even further enhanced experience. The courtside lounge accommodates a smaller number of guests for a first-class, more intimate pregame and halftime experience and is available to fans who purchase courtside seats. A multipurpose room serves as valuable flex space to host both basketball team events such as team meals and recruiting visits along with  pregame guest events like Athletics functions and business or community groups. A student club space offers a pregame gathering space for students and a location to host special student-geared events.

Student – Athlete Success
The Atlantic Union Bank Center offers a comprehensive array of services and spaces to maximize student-athlete success in-line with the holistic experience provided at James Madison University. Spaces include a practice court, locker room, film room, staff offices, academic success area, sports medicine with hydrotherapy area and strength and conditioning, including a cardio mezzanine. The practice court, with a design matching the competition surface, provides additional space for performance development and ensures that student-athletes don’t have practice opportunities impacted by other events taking place in the arena.

The facility also houses new operations areas for the athletics ticket office as well as the facility and events staff.

TAKE A TOUR
The opening of the Atlantic Union Bank Center ushers in a new era for basketball and other campus and community events and forever change the trajectory of JMU Athletics.

Plans for a new JMU Convocation Center were originally announced and public fundraising initiated on April 27, 2015. On October 13, 2017, a naming sponsorship was announced and later updated on May 20, 2019, establishing this new cornerstone facility as the Atlantic Union Bank Center. A groundbreaking ceremony occurred and construction officially began on April 27, 2018, exactly three years from the date of the project announcement.

The Atlantic Union Bank Center features:

● Retractable end line bleachers to accommodate concert and event configurations
● Club room adjacent to lower seating bowl accommodating about 500 featuring dedicated restrooms, two private suites, loge seating and   multipurpose space for game day events, speakers or 200-person banquet events
● Courtside seating & private event-level hospitality area with dedicated restrooms
● Center-hung scoreboard with modern video technology, advanced lighting & sound, and event production room
● Auxiliary multipurpose event space
● Student club area adjacent to student seating
● In-housee restaurant with separate entrance for non-event operating hours
● Team store
● Four concessions around main concourse
● 12 restrooms along main concourse
● Four auxiliary and officials locker rooms
● Practice gymnasium with six shooting stations and high windows for natural light
● Coaches offices and conference rooms overlooking practice gymnasium
● Academic success space with dedicated advisor office space, two private tutoring spaces and open work areas
● Strength & conditioning training area
● Sports medicine evaluation space with independent hydrotherapy room & three different pool types
● Team meeting rooms and locker rooms
● Event-level areas designated for food preparation, storage and facility infrastructure needs
● Loading bay with dedicated broadcast truck parking area
● Offices for facilities & events and ticket operations
● Working media and press conference space
● Adjacent 1,500-car parking deck featuring dedicated access road
● LEED certification

East Campus (Ballard) Parking Garage
A 1,500-space parking deck has constructed adjacent to the Atlantic Union Bank Center, this 463,000 SF, $24.3 million parking facility is separated from the Atlantic Union Bank Center by a courtyard. Not just for fans, the arena can seat close to 10,000 people for commencement and other events with additional floor seating, so the precast parking deck offers 1,510 parking spaces. Which alleviates parking demands during special events and during the academic year for JMU faculty, staff, and students seeking safe and convenient parking near East Campus academic buildings. A dedicated access road connects the venue to the parking facility.

The placement of elevators, vestibules and lobbies, and points of vehicular ingress and egress were designed to quickly load and discharge in consideration of common local weather events such as buffeting wind, rain, and snow. To help visitors find these areas, SBBCC shared with the design team what we’ve found to be most beneficial regarding wayfinding signage. The parking guidance system in the garage is tied to JMU’s existing sophisticated parking guidance system. Interior parking for bicycles and motorcycles is provided within the facility. Secondary spaces include elevator machine rooms, an electric room, and telecommunications rooms.

SBBCC completed the parking garage one (1) year ahead of schedule and within budget.

Jeff Bourne Addresses JMU Nation