Since its opening in 2003, the 150,000-square-foot Gerald Ratner Athletics Center has won multiple awards for its architectural design. In just its first year of operation, the facility received awards from the American Council of Engineering Companies, the American Institute of Steel Construction, and the Consulting Engineers Council of Illinois for its excellence in engineering and design. Among the building’s most notable features is its roof, which is suspended by cables attached to five masts that peak 100 feet from the ground.
World-Class Facilities
Apart from its award-winning design, the Ratner Athletics Center is also known for its world-class facilities. It features the 50-meter x 25-yard Myers-McLoraine Swimming Pool, the Bernard DelGiorno Fitness Center, a multipurpose dance studio, competition and auxiliary gymnasia, classroom and meeting room space, and permanent day lockers. In addition to providing these facilities for university and medical center, staff, alumni, retirees, students, and community members, Ratner also serves as practice space for the UChicago basketball, volleyball, and wrestling teams. In fact, it hosts a 1,658-seat competition gymnasium to showcase University teams.