History of Game Room
and Billiard Table Layouts

Created:   6 May 2000 by Ray Piworunas.
Updated:   December 23, 2014.

Contents:

  1. Past
  2. SUB (expansion)
  3. Suggested
  4. Proposed
  5. Interim at the SAC
  6. Modified Fidel Plan
  7. Arrival of the Gabriel's carom table
  8. New Ping Pong tables

Past

An 8' table from the SUB's Game Room (which became the Lounge).   Probably taken in the winter of 1977.


Note the green scheduling board, and the corner of the
Gandy Big-G, carom table in the lower RHS of the photo.)

Floor plan of the SUB's Game Room after a carom table
and a snooker table had been added (late 1976).

The SUB game room (basically a second pool room) was opened about 1975 after two of the newer 8' All Tech tables were moved from the basement of the gym to the SUB lounge (two 1890 vintage 9' Brunswick tables remained in the gym along with one 8' All Tech).   About a semester and a half later some cards and board games were added to the room (stored in a converted movie projector cabinet).   Cards and board games were played at tables in the canteen area.

Tech had about 950 students then.   Prior to being used as a game room it was a public lounge (and all the billiard tables were in the basement of the gym -- the original tables being in the northeast basement room, where the free weights are now).

The layout occupied about 1560 square feet and accommodated four billiard tables.   The tables were:

Also included in the room were:

SUB (expansion)

The last game room in the SUB (expansion) was built about 1980 and occupied about 2500 square feet.   At that time Tech had about 1150 students.

The billiard table area was about 1450 square feet and accommodated six billiard tables (which were too close to the walls and each other - the room should have been at least 5' wider to provide an additional 315 square feet to properly arrange the billiard tables).   The tables there were:

In another 900 square feet of the game room were:

In addition to the above areas there're also an attendant's counter (about 60 square feet), and the manager's office / store room (about 90 square feet).   Cards and board games were played in the lounge, the common area, and people's dorm rooms, as well as in the game room.

Suggestions

Members of the Billy Aardd's Club searched some authoritative sources and put together the following requirements for a good billiards room.   The layouts suggested below were drawn with these requirements in mind.

  1. The room should be in a sound space separate from noise producing areas (like those associated with:  pin-ball machines, air hockey tables, video machines, and bowling lanes).

  2. Lighting is quite important.   Incandescent lighting should be used for lighting the tables as it gives truer colors on the balls and is easier on the eyes over extended periods of play (like 2 to 4 hours as happens with some tournaments and long games).   If incandescent lighting can not be done then Ott (reference Dr. John Ott) lighting should be used.

    The playing surface should be lit as uniformly as possible, with minimal shadows, to 520-Lux.   The rest of the room should be at around 50-Lux while the billiard tables are in use.   (From the French Billiard Association specs on lighting.)

  3. Use duplex outlets placed in the ceiling above the planned billiard table positions to allow for easier re-arrangement of tables should the need arise.   Each outlet would be wired to a switch so each table's lights can be turned on, or off, without affecting the other tables.

  4. Provide for room lighting in addition to that for the billiard tables.   Indirect lighting would be best as it reduces strong shadows.

  5. Place windows on the north, and/or east, side of the room to reduce glare, or extremely bright outside light, when the window coverings (Venetian blinds, curtains, or both) are open.

  6. Physically separate the billiard table area from other activity areas.   A border area of seating would work well.

  7. Allow space for plenty of seating (stools, benches, couches, and tables would be a nice way to do this).   This will help reduce the likelihood of people using the billiard tables for seats (which should help keep maintenance costs on the billiard tables down).

  8. Allow 2.5' depth for seating areas (this should allow people to stretch their legs out while seated and not bother the players).

  9. Traffic between billiard tables should be limited to those people playing at the tables.   Space between the billiard tables should not be used as aisle-ways to other parts of the room or building.

  10. The minimum distance of a billiard table from walls, furniture, or other fixtures should be 6-feet.   This is based on the 58" to 60" length of cue sticks and the way players extend their back leg beyond the end of the stick.

  11. Use a minimum 8-foot distance between billiard tables (ADA requirements may be different, I'm not sure what BCA specifies for wheel-chair competitions are).   Keeping this minimum distance should reduce clashing of sticks or the need to sit on another billiard table to shoot.   This will help people enjoy the game more and make for a better social experience (e.g. standing at one table won't be blocking a person at another table from shooting).

  12. Use refrigerated air to reduce the amount of moisture the table frames and rails are exposed to.   Doing so will increase the life of the equipment and reduce maintenance costs.

  13. Keep a set of restrooms nearby (almost overlooked this one) like with the current game room.   These are often used and would be missed.

  14. The new room should be large enough to allow for expansion past the number of billiard tables we currently have (three 4.5'x9' pocket tables, one 5'x10' carom table, one 5'x'10' snooker table, and one 3.5'x7' pocket table) without compromising any of the space requirements mentioned above.

    Since billiard room use is increasing, and the size of the student body is expected to significantly increase (which will also mean more faculty and staff), I suggest that space for at least ten tables (we currently have six) be planned.

    If all tables shown in the drawing are not purchasable for the opening of the room then space should still be allocated to allow for expansion of the room to accommodate the following tables.

    • one 12' snooker table.
    • one modern 10' carom table (Gabriels "Imperator" preferred).
    • one 10' pocket table.
    • three 9' pocket tables.
    • three 8' pocket tables.
    • one 7' pocket table.

This first suggested layout has one more table than the one that was submitted to Don Uding during the talks with BLPW in the spring of 2000.   Note that this layout is for table space only — it does not try to place where the attendant's counter, the game room manager's office, card tables or any other game room resource would go.

This layout would occupy about 3790 square feet.   It is targeted at a student population of about 1800 students.   It would accommodate ten billiard tables (four more than the current room) with adequate space between them for a better social experience.   The tables would be:

Pocket Tables
one 7' Gandy Big-G pocket table (existing),
three new 8' pocket tables,
two 9' Gandy Big-G pocket tables,
one 10' Gandy Big-G, six leg, pocket table
(converted from the current carom table using an
existing pocket rail set).
Snooker Tables
one 10' Brunswick Gold Crown II snooker table,
one new (full size) 12' snooker table.
Carom Tables
one modern 10' carom table, with table bed heater
(Gabriels "Imperator" preferred).

This layout would allow for about a 50% growth in the use of the billiards facilities.   This additional capacity will be needed as the student population grows and as more people who attend conferences at Tech come to use the game room facilities (the summer of 2001 saw such an increase in use that students found it difficult to get a billiard table during several hours of the day).

It also addresses the diversity in our student population, and our visitors, by continuing to offer Snooker and Carom billiards as well as Pocket billiards.   With people from many parts of the world attending Tech (both as students and conference attendees) the carom and snooker tables are really appreciated.   This suggested layout replaces our old 10' carom table with a modern 10' carom table (Gabriels "Imperator" preferred) and the 10' snooker table with a 12' (full size) model.   It also turns the current 10' carom table into a 10' pocket table using the set of rails and pockets we already own.

The second suggested layout would occupy about 5220 square feet.   It is targeted at a student population of about 2000 students and a conference or two a month of up to 50 people each.   It would accommodate thirteen billiard tables (with adequate space between them).   The tables would be:

Pocket Tables
one 7' Gandy Big-G pocket table (existing),
three new 8' pocket tables,
two 9' Gandy Big-G pocket tables,
two new 9' pocket tables,
one 10' Gandy Big-G, six leg, pocket table
(converted from the current carom table using an
existing pocket rail set).
Snooker Tables
one 10' Brunswick Gold Crown II snooker table
one new (full size) 12' snooker table.
Carom Tables
two modern 10' carom tables, with table bed heater
(Gabriels "Imperator" preferred).

Again please note that this layout is for billiard table space only   --   it does not try to place where the attendant's counter, the game room manager's office, card tables or any other game room resource would go.

Proposed

Proposed floor plan of the game room area in the new Student Services Building.

This proposed game room layout is based on revisions arrived at with SA representatives and Joe Galon (Tech's architect) on the plan of March 2002 by BPLW.   The layout would occupy about 2900 square feet.   It is targeted at about 1800–2000 students.

The dotted lines represent items removed from the March 2002 plan (though it's unknown if these changes can be incorporated in future plans).

Interim at the SAC

The major remaining game room related concern was resolved at an S.A. meeting May 2003.   They approved a plan to house three billiard tables in the SAC Conference Room while the new student building is being constructed (projected to take about 1.5 to 2 years).

The plan below shows how the tables would be arranged.


Fidel Student Services:
Modified Building Plan

The plan presented to Auxiliary Services by Tyler Mason (architect from BPLW) on 2 April 2003 is similar to the plan proposed above.   The hallway wall wasn't bumped out but the two closets that had been removed in the proposed plan (the electrical and communication closets that lined up with similar closets on the second and third floors -- which could not be removed) did get moved enough to allow more usable space in the room.   The room is listed as having 1975 square feet.

There is now space for: the Manager's office, the Attendant's counter, seven billiard tables, the cue cabinet, the foosball table, and a small TV/VCR area, even with the three columns that remain.   Considering the shape of the room and the location of the columns it's an interesting job of fitting things in.   (What we're missing from the previous game room are a couple of gaming/eating/studying tables -- but some of those should be just down the hall.)

Thanks to Tyler and the people at BPLW who considered the proposed plan and worked on making the changes.

The plan below shows how the tables would be arranged.   The plan appears rather congested because dotted lines have been used to show the space needed for each table (remembering that the cue sticks are 5-feet long).   In many places the playing space for two tables overlap considerably, and in a couple of places the playing space for three tables overlap significantly.   It's a rather tight fit and so table placement is critical.

The eventual goal is to have a seven table room as shown in the following diagram.   (Note: the date on the drawing is later than the others as dimensions for locating the tables were added.)

Maintenance Note —
The room has a tile floor and that presents a problem that people who clean and polish the floor need to know about (something supervisors need to be sure to pass on to them).

When the floor gets cleaned and polished the machine used for this could hit a table's leg rather strongly if the operator isn't very careful with the machine.

That could damage a table severely (more than just knock it out of whack — it could crack some of the mechanical connections, or framing members).

Arrival of the Gabriel's carom table.

The Gabriel ("table T-3") was installed on 16-Aug-2006.

A flat panel TV has been mounted on the wall in the NE corner of the room.   (The TV locations shown are not correct.)

It should be noted that the polished tile floor turns out to be so slick that the tables, without some modifications, could slide out of position when bumped.   Kerry Rhodes (A Better Billiards Service) has taken steps to keep the tables in place.

New Ping Pong tables.

Two new, tournament class, ping pong tables were installed over the New Year break for the Spring of 2012.

Kerry Rhodes (A Better Billiards Service) and Kevin disassembled the 7' Gandy Big G pocket table and took it to the Property Office prior to moving and re-spacing the billiard tables in the south part of the room to make room for one of the new ping pong tables.   The other ping pong table is being kept along the curved wall, in folded stored position, till people want to use it.

Billy Aardd's Club, NMT, Socorro, NM.