Marquette University has installed its seasonal dome over a portion of its Valley Fields facility, enclosing the synthetic turf field adjacent to the stadium. The seasonal dome will provide practice and training facilities for intercollegiate athletes, as well as club and intramural participants. Marquette partnered with C.D. Smith Construction Services, a Milwaukee-based, family-owned and operated company that has completed major projects in nearly 20 states. Sink Combs Dethlefs provided architectural services and Graef’s Milwaukee office provided engineering support on the project.
This week, Facilities Planning and Management team members will continue to work on the interior of the seasonal dome before it officially opens. This work includes finishing turf repairs and hanging lights.
When announcing the plan to build the seasonal dome, Vice President and Director of Athletics Bill Scholl said, “As we continue to plan for our athletic performance research center, it was important that we take a more immediate step in meeting the demand of our increasingly active student body.”
In addition to the news of the dome installation, Marquette has selected Mortenson as its 
construction manager to build its proposed athletic performance research center, in partnership with Aurora Health Care. Mortenson has wide-ranging experience in constructing both athletic and health care facilities, and the project will be led by the company’s Milwaukee office.
Mortenson is the largest sports builder in the country, having completed more than 170 sports projects in the U.S. The firm has also worked with Marquette University on a number of recent projects.
“Mortenson is an excellent partner for this innovative project, and we are looking forward to collaborating with them to construct a world-class facility that becomes a destination for both scientific researchers and athletes,” said Lora Strigens, Marquette’s vice president for planning and strategy.
