Bankers Life Fieldhouse is getting a face lift. Construction crews are hard at work gutting and renovating the downtown arena as part of the second phase of a $360 million transformation. But the old and discarded materials coming out of the Fieldhouse are getting new life, too. The project is, of course, producing a lot of waste, but the Pacers franchise plans to divert as much as 80% of it from the landfill — almost 3,000 tons.
The current phase of the project started this spring, and will be completed by the time the Indiana Pacers basketball season starts back up in the fall. The Indiana Fever, the Pacers’ counterpart WNBA team that is currently in season, has been playing at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum at the State Fairgrounds. In the first phase of the renovation, crews redid seating in the lower bowl of the stadium, added an Indiana Fever locker room and weight training facility, and redid the practice court, among other changes. During the current phase, crews are redoing the main concourse and entry of the Fieldhouse, as well as other seating in the stadium.
By the project’s completion, there will be a new deck and upper platform in the west balcony and the Fieldhouse will have a plaza complete with a basketball court in the summer and ice skating rink in the winter, as well as public green space and an area for events. Materials being recycled from the project include about 110,660 pounds of steel and 840,000 pounds of concrete from the Maryland Avenue parking garage that was taken down to make room for the renovation. Also coming from inside the Fieldhouse is about 187 tons of concrete, 379 tons of iron and steel and 12 tons of other metals such as copper and aluminum being sent off for recycling.