New York Liberty free rein at home lounge

Article posted by Coliseum, July 2^nd, 2021

Image: NY Liberty

The New York Liberty – Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) team – has unveiled the completed design-build reshaping of their 6,000 square foot locker room and lounge at Barclays Center in Brooklyn (US). The state-of-the-art compound was conceptualized and completed by a team of women from Shawmut Design and Construction and Generator Studios keeping in mind women’s comfort and preferences.

The ‘New York Liberty’ stated that the ‘Liberty’ are playing their home games at Barclays Center for the first time this year, and the new area is located a stone’s throw away from the court. The completely redesigned space includes new lockers, a players’ lounge, new operating systems, and a sleek shower and bathroom layout with extended space for dressing and makeup mirrors.

The New York Liberty is an American professional basketball team based in Brooklyn, New York City (US), which plays in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the Eastern Conference. The New York Liberty was founded on October 30th, 1996 and is one of the three original franchises remaining in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Liberty has made four WNBA Finals appearances in its 25-year history. Owned by Joe and Clara Tsai, owners of the Brooklyn Nets, the Liberty play its home games at the Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

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The 19,000-capacity Barclays Center is a multipurpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Brooklyn (US). The arena is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the New York Liberty of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Asserted New York Liberty CEO Keia Clarke, “A group of world-class athletes deserve a world-class space, and that is precisely what Shawmut and Generator Studios have created with this new locker room. The Liberty organization continues to be intentional about uplifting women in all facets of the company and this renovation project is no different.”

The ‘New York Liberty’ quoted David Margolius, Executive Vice-President, Shawmut Design and Construction’s New York Metro region, as stating, “Partnering with Generator Studios in design-build collaboration, we were proud to assemble a female-led design and construction team for the New York Liberty. Our commitment to operationalizing diversity, equity and inclusion in our business allowed us the capability to do this – not to mention the sheer talent of these team members. This is truly a project built by women, for women – and in an industry that’s less than 10 percent female, we’re especially proud of this. On top of that, we delivered on our commitment to 100 percent WMBE (Women and Minority-Owned Business Enterprises) external subcontractors.”

Boston (US)-headquartered Shawmut Design and Construction is a $1.5 billion US construction management firm with a reputation for completing extremely complex and logistically challenging projects for the most high-profile clients in the industry. As an ESOP (employee-owned) company, Shawmut has created a culture of ownership, proactive solution-making and forward thinking. Eighty percent of its business comes from repeat clients, proving there is a strong focus on building lasting partnerships. Shawmut has 10 offices including New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Providence.

Humanscale is another notable partner selected to ensure that the new build champions health, wellness and movement. The ergonomics furnishings leader provided carefully selected products for the new locker room and staff area to create a space that is both functional and well-designed.

Shared Leena Jain, CMO, Humanscale, “Humanscale and NY Liberty share similar values of excellence, wellness and inclusivity, making this partnership a perfect match. All of our products are designed to ensure everybody – and everybody – is fully supported. We’re excited to have our iconic Liberty chair play a small part as the team pursues what we hope is a winning season.”

New York (US)-based Humanscale is the leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance ergonomic (relating to or designed for efficiency and comfort in the working environment) products that improve the health and comfort of work life. Through leveraging new technology in functional yet minimal designs, Humanscale transforms traditional offices into active, intelligent workspaces. Committed to making a net positive impact on the earth as well as its customers, Humanscale offers award-winning products designed with a focus on function, simplicity and longevity.

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