University of Minnesota Field House will get a new exterior, new track and indoor turf

Address: 1800 University Av. SE., Minneapolis

Type: Recreational

Cost: $7.4 million

Developer: University of Minnesota

Architect: Cuningham Group

General contractor: Mortenson Construction

Details: The University of Minnesota's Field House will sport a new exterior envelope under a recently approved $7.4 million renovation that will also see the installation of a new track and artificial-turf flooring.

The Field House was originally constructed in the 1930s as an aircraft hangar in Washington state; following World War II, it was donated to the U and reassembled at its present location along University Avenue SE.

Its exterior panels are made of Cemesto, a fireproof and lightweight building material popular in the 1930s that contains asbestos, now considered a hazardous material.

Over the years, the panels deteriorated and now have peeling paint, cracks and punctures. They will be removed and replaced with new exterior insulated metal panels and a translucent aluminum glazing system, giving the Field House a modern, updated look.

Inside, meanwhile, the building will get ventilation and mechanical systems suitable for supporting crowds of up to 1,500 people; and 80,000 square feet of new track and turf flooring, bringing the facility up to the standards necessary to host NCAA-level intercollegiate indoor track-and-field events.

Design work is to be completed this summer with construction beginning in September.