Purdue trustees approve 10-year capital plan

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue University Board of Trustees on Friday (Aug. 5) reviewed and approved the university’s 10-year capital plan, which informs the 2023-25 legislative capital request the university submits to the state.

The evolution of the current 10-year capital plan is the result of a process that identifies facility needs in the context of strategic initiatives, including Purdue Moves, Next Moves and various campus planning activities currently underway. Physical Facilities, with support from administrative leaders, has prioritized those needs into near-, mid- and long-term facility project plans.

“Throughout this biennial update of the 10-year capital plan, Administrative Operations leadership recognizes the need to ensure financial viability and stewardship while prioritizing and contributing to student affordability and sustainability,” said Jay Wasson, Purdue vice president for physical facilities and chief public safety officer. “In order to achieve these goals, Purdue has adopted a balanced capital program approach that considers facility renovations first, facility replacements where appropriate and the addition of new space only when needed.”

Projects included in the near-term legislative capital request are:

• Nursing and Pharmacy Education Building at Purdue West Lafayette – This project will construct a new 201,500-square-foot building that will provide a new academic home for the College of Pharmacy and the School of Nursing, including 35,000 square feet of animal holding space. The facility will support modern teaching pedagogy, interprofessional education and clinical learning, and it will include multiple general-use classrooms, clinical instructional spaces, study spaces, offices and common space. The cost is $160 million, with $89 million requested from the state. Pending project funding and approvals, construction could begin in summer 2024 with completion in fall 2026.
• Rhinehart Music Center addition at Purdue University Fort Wayne – This project will construct a 26,000-square-foot addition to accommodate current School of Music programs and their expected future growth. The addition will include large and small rehearsal rooms, several studios with control rooms, music editing suites, a critical listening laboratory, a small classroom and associated administrative and common spaces. The cost is $22 million, with $14 million requested from the state. Pending project funding and approvals, construction could begin in spring 2025 with completion in fall/winter 2027.
• Chilled water enhancements at Purdue West Lafayette – This project will construct a new cooling tower and supporting equipment, install new chilled water lines along Grant Street from the Wade Utility Plant to Central Drive, replace existing chilled water lines from the Northwest Chiller Plant to First Street and Stadium Avenue, and install an above-ground thermal chilled water storage tank and supporting equipment. The cost is $77 million, with no state funding requested. Following final project approvals, construction could begin in spring 2023 with completion in spring 2025.
• Chiller plant upgrade and chilled water line replacement at Purdue Northwest – This project calls for the replacement of the existing cooling tower and providing an additional chiller for increased capacity on the Westville campus and replacement of the existing chilled water main on the Hammond campus. The cost of $12 million is requested from the state. Pending project funding and approvals, construction could begin in spring 2024 with completion in spring 2025.
• Krannert Center renovation at Purdue West Lafayette – This project will renovate and reconfigure approximately 12,000 square feet of space on the second floor to increase student project space; update approximately 7,600 square feet of finishes on the lower, first and second floor levels; and address previously identified repair and rehabilitation deficiencies with the HVAC and electrical systems. The cost is $11 million with no state funding requested. Following final project approvals, construction could begin in summer 2023 with completion in summer 2024.
• Energetics Research Lab Building Phase 1 at Purdue West Lafayette – This project will construct a building to fabricate, test, detect, deploy and defeat next-generation energetic materials. The new facility will be comprised of research lab space, conference and support rooms and a surrounding corridor. The cost is $15 million with no state funding requested. Following final project approvals, construction could begin in spring 2024 with completion in summer 2025.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last four years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://stories.purdue.edu.

Source: Jay Wasson