Gymnastics Littlejohn Locker Room

Clemson University

Clemson’s commitment to women’s sports produced a remarkably successful new Gymnastics team. In its inaugural season, Clemson Gymnastics placed second in the 2024 ACC Championships and earned numerous ACC weekly awards for team members’ performances. This wildly successful first season has enticed recruits from other universities, adding accomplished newcomers to the Clemson roster for the 2024-2025 season. The new Clemson Gymnastics Littlejohn Locker Room was specifically located near the team’s competition space to support this emerging powerhouse program.

However, creating a locker room that would be a good fit for the gymnastics team posed several challenges. Due to limited available square footage, the targeted space inside Littlejohn Coliseum was a 715-sf basement IT server space with a raised flooring platform. In addition to the lockers themselves, the new locker room needed to include a multi-stall restroom and ample space for professional-level hair and make-up before competitions. The design team was challenged to transform this service support space into a vibrant and functional locker room befitting the collegiate athletes pioneering a much-anticipated program.

Careful space planning and strategic finish selections enabled the design team to maximize the limited square footage. An ADA-compliant ramp up to the existing elevated floor leads gymnasts past an illuminated graphic inspiring them to “attack everything.” Custom lockers with bench seating, leotard hangers, and storage drawers below line the exterior walls. Illuminated nameplates with the gymnasts’ names and headshots run across the bulkhead of the lockers. Tunable LED lights illuminate locker separations and add flexibility for student-athletes to customize their space.

A floating, double-sided vanity stands in the middle of the locker room, providing the whole team with simultaneous access to a mirror, vanity top, power outlets, and rolling stool seating. The exposed steel sections creating the vanity frame reinforce the industrial aesthetic of the re-purposed space. Tall, bold letters in Clemson Orange spell “Clemson Gymnastics” across the top of the vanity. The crisp white of the lockers and the vanity counter offset the accent walls painted bold Clemson Purple and Orange. A neutral wall graphic subtly incorporates Clemson’s signature tiger stripe into the room’s finishes. Ceiling and flooring treatments create the illusion of volume within the locker room. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems remain exposed but painted black to match the ceiling above. The effect is a recessed ceiling plane that fades behind the pendant lights suspended below. Graphic patterned carpet incorporates Clemson Purple while providing comfort and durability.

The Clemson Gymnastics Littlejohn Locker Room is a sophisticated, functional space befitting the spunky character of the up-and-coming team. Design elements prominently feature Clemson’s colors, logos, and slogans, fostering a strong sense of identity and pride within the team. The new locker room is an inspiring space for team spirit, efficiently meeting program and design challenges while providing a vibrant and supportive environment for the student-athletes.

Photography by Kickstand Studio.