Colby College

Custom Athletic Lockers for a Multi-Sport Facility

PROlocker was selected from a competitive field of five manufacturers to supply the complete installation.

Project Overview

• 800 custom athletic lockers across eight sports programs
• Sports: football, hockey, lacrosse, volleyball, basketball, downhill skiing, field hockey, soccer
• Material: quarter-sawn maple throughout
• Solid hardwood edge construction replacing standard sheeting methods
• Multiple sport-specific configurations with consistent facility-wide aesthetic
• Delivered 2020 under COVID-19 restrictions

The Challenge

The project presented three distinct challenges that required attention before manufacturing could begin.

Prototype review and dimension refinement: Each of the eight sport-specific configurations went through design review before production began. During this review, we found that the locker design would have put seated athletes in danger of hitting their heads on the shelf above, a clearance problem that was not clear in the drawings. The dimension was revised and confirmed with the architectural team before production began.

Material and construction consistency at scale: 800 units across eight sports programs, all specifying quarter-sawn maple for its uniform white tone and tight, consistent grain. Sourcing and processing quarter-sawn maple at that volume while maintaining colour and grain consistency across the full installation required careful material selection throughout production.

COVID-19 logistics: The project ran through 2020 restrictions, adding complexity to workforce logistics, cross-border coordination, and early material deliveries that required interim storage arrangements.

The Solution

Catching the shelf clearance issue came from knowing how athletes actually use a locker: seated, in full gear, moving through a confined space. That’s the kind of problem that gets resolved at the prototype stage when athletic locker rooms are what you build. The revision was confirmed with the architectural team and incorporated into final drawings without affecting the visual symmetry the architects had specified.

The material approach distinguished PROlocker’s bid. Rather than constructing with standard sheeting, the team built each locker with 2-inch solid hardwood edges throughout. The result was a more substantial, consistent appearance across the full installation, with a cleaner shadow line that aligned with the architectural finish standards the facility demanded.

Quarter-sawn maple was selected by the architects specifically for its near-white colour and flawless, uniform surface. It photographs without variation and reads consistently under the facility’s lighting. PROlocker sourced and processed the material to maintain that consistency across all 800 units.

Multi-Sport Locker Room Design

Eight sports programs meant eight functional briefs. The configurations were optimized for each:

Football: Robust construction for heavy protective gear. Lockable storage for personal items with sufficient volume for pads, helmets, and cleats.

Hockey: Ventilation and drainage integrated into the locker structure for wet gear drying. Open communal-facing configuration typical of hockey installations.

Basketball and volleyball: Proportions optimized for uniform and footwear storage. Taller hanging space for longer garments.

Downhill skiing and cold-weather programs: Storage for bulkier outerwear and equipment, with consideration for wet gear coming off the hill.

Lacrosse, field hockey, soccer: Configurations balancing equipment volume with individual storage, scaled to program roster sizes.

Each configuration maintained the same quarter-sawn maple facing and solid hardwood edge construction, giving the facility a unified appearance across all locker rooms despite the functional variation between them.

Results

The completed installation delivered on both the aesthetic vision and functional requirements across all eight programs. The architectural team received a facility that met their specification standards; the athletic programs received locker rooms engineered for the specific demands of each sport.

At the scale of this installation, prototype review was the right stage to confirm dimensions across all eight configurations before fabrication began.

The project was completed under the logistical constraints of 2020 and delivered on schedule for the facility’s opening.