The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Indoor Practice Facility ('The Bubble')
General Information
- Physical address: 2601 Red River St., Austin TX 78705
- Overview, accessibility and parking
- Sports that use this facility:
- Located within Frank Denius Fields
During the 2002 season, the Longhorns' first-class program got an upgrade with the addition of yet another state-of-the-art facility within the Texas Football program. The Indoor Practice Facility -- or "The Bubble" as the players call it -- was one of the main reasons UT enjoyed another successful season. With the help of its new facility, the Horns posted their second consecutive 11-win campaign (a first in school history), the SBC Cotton Bowl Championship and a share of the Big 12 South title. Head coach Mack Brown credits part of the team's success in 2002 on the program's newest addition in the fall. Built at a cost of $4 million, construction on the facility began on May 14 and was completed five months later in time for the Longhorns' tough stretch of October road games. The remainder of the cosmetic construction -- brickwork, fencing and landscaping -- was completed six weeks later. Heery International, based out of Atlanta, served as the architect for the project. Hensel Phelps of Austin constructed the multi-purpose facility, while Yeadon Fabric Domes, Inc., added the three-layer outer bubble, which is inflated by a compressor. There also is a gas-based backup system that continually blows air in event of an extended power outage. The climate-controlled facility, which also is used by other Texas Athletics teams and the Longhorn Band, takes up more than 70,000 square feet and is 61 feet high at its peak. It has a full FieldTurf football field and a set of goal posts in the north end zone that allows the Longhorns to work on all phases of the kicking game.