The Cleveland Cavaliers' new player development facility is being called the most complete basketball training center built by an NBA team. The $20-million facility is being constructed in Independence, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. The 50,000-square-foot building will become headquarters for the Cavaliers players and coaches.

Cleveland Clinic Courts is the official name of the center. It will be completed ahead of the 2007–08 NBA season. The building — constructed by Albert M. Higley Co., Cleveland, and designed by Ellerbe Becket — contains two adjacent regulation NBA courts with a total of six hoops, extra large strength and conditioning areas overlooking the playing court area, a theater-style meeting room, and three large locker rooms. The practice courts cover 17,300 square feet and the weight training room is 3,500 square feet.

In addition, the facility also has all the team's executive offices on the same level; meeting areas for players, coaches and the scouting staff; video and editing rooms; and studio facilities for media interviews.

A unique aspect of the structure is its exposed glued laminated timber framing, believed to be one of the few timber designed sports facilities in an industry dominated by concrete and steel. Large glulam girders, beams and purlins are capped with 6-inch glulam timber roof decking and cover the entire building except the practice courts, which have steel bar joist roof.

Most of the glulam girders are 25 inches deep and span an average distance of 37 feet. Purlins between the girders average 18 inches deep with a span of 30 feet. The structural engineering was done by Thornton Tomasetti and Unit Structures, the firm that produced the glulam timber.

Glued laminated timbers are a stress-rated engineered wood product comprised of wood laminations, or "lams," bonded together with strong, waterproof adhesive. This means that no large, old-growth trees are needed in the fabrication of the beams.

About 30 percent of all glulam beams and trusses manufactured in the United States are used in commercial and public buildings, a sizeable increase over the past five years, according to the American Institute of Timber Construction.