The Leon Moncla Indoor Practice Facility at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, La., is used for a variety of athletic teams on campus. There is 15 feet (5 m) between the football field and the building all around, with a ceiling height of approximately 70 feet (21 m). Three 24-foot (7-m Powerfoil X fans from Big Ass Fans, Lexington, Ky., were installed to re-circulate the heat in the winter and ensure player comfort in the summer.
Prior to the new facility being built, a lot of practices were canceled due to weather issues.During the planning stages a tough decision had to be made. Normally, buildings that size don’t use air conditioning because of the high operating cost. The building has two large garage doors on each side and exhaust fans at the peaks that are designed to circulate the air, but were not an adequate solution.
The fans have made the practice area 10 to 15 degrees cooler, allowing all of the teams to get their practice time in.
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