Trustees approve renovations to Mechanical Engineering Building at Purdue West Lafayette, preparatory actions for new residence hall at Purdue Fort Wayne

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – To accommodate enrollment growth in the College of Engineering, the Purdue University Board of Trustees on Friday (Dec. 2) granted approval to plan, finance, construct and award construction contracts for renovation to the Mechanical Engineering Building on the West Lafayette campus.

The project will renovate approximately 41,000 square feet on multiple floors. Specifically, improved instructional spaces that include labs and classrooms will be relocated to the ground and first floors, with new collaboration space nearby. Several offices will be renovated, and a new stairway will connect the Mechanical Engineering Building to the Gatewood addition. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems also will be upgraded.

The renovation will result in increased space efficiency and flexibility while accommodating more students per assigned square foot within the existing building footprint.

The estimated total project cost is $25 million and will be financed from gift funds. Construction is expected to begin in July 2023 with completion in February 2025.

In other action, trustees approved actions preparatory to project commencement for a new residence hall at Purdue Fort Wayne. Following further and final approvals, which will be sought later, this project would construct a new residence hall to address increased demand for on-campus housing while enhancing student success and recruitment.

The facility would include approximately 370 beds and be located in the core of the Fort Wayne campus. The current campus housing inventory consists of only apartment-style units.

A new residence hall on the main campus is an outcome of Purdue Fort Wayne’s 2019 Campus Master Plan, which aligns the physical campus with the goals of PFW’s Strategic Plan 2020–25.

Additionally, trustees approved renaming Recitation Hall to Helen B. Schleman Hall. Renovations to the existing Schleman Hall of Student Services, which will transform it to the new and expanded home for Purdue’s rapidly growing data science program, are scheduled to begin in February 2023. At that time, the Office of the Dean of Students will move to the current Recitation Hall as its permanent home. The name change will ensure that Purdue continues to honor the legacy and leadership of Dean Emerita Helen B. Schleman, who served the university as director of women’s residence halls, dean of women and director of Span Plan. 

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 five 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.

Media contact: Tom Schott, tschott@purdue.edu