Renovations to Crisler Arena are taking place for the past five years, on men's and women's locker rooms, training room, a new lighting and sound system, additional courtside seating and renovation of the strength and conditioning room.The facility will be built adjacent to Crisler Arena, which is opened in 1969, and used for many different activities and events at present. The facility will provide approximately 50,000 gross square feet for functional training and practice for the men's and women's programs.The new project will feature two basketball practice courts, team locker rooms, a video theater, spaces for strength and conditioning, athletic medicine, and coaching and staff offices. Athletic resources and gifts will fund the $23.2 million project.The regents are planning to appoint Jickling Lyman Powell Associates as the design architect for this project.Bill Martin, the Donald R. Shepherd director of Intercollegiate Athletics said, "This is a major step forward in improving our basketball facilities, the facility will allow our student-athletes to practice later in the day, giving them more flexibility in scheduling their academic classes."John Beilein, Men's basketball coach said that, the features at the facility will enhance student-athletes' development and also efficiency of staff. He said, “We appreciate the support of president Mary Sue Coleman, and the hard work of Bill Martin and Mike Stevenson in making this project become a reality."Martin, as athletic director since 2000 has spearheaded the expansion and renovation of much of the university's athletic infrastructure. Martin said in a media statement that, renovating Crisler Arena remains a priority for the department, "Crisler is our last major project that we need to address and we're working on the information needed to get to that point."