September 19, 2007

Cary Quad residence hall wins national design award

Cary Quadrangle grill
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The $15.5 million project rehabilitated 140,000 square feet of building space, including the restoration of the main lobby; mail lobby and processing area; the student dining room; and student rooms, lounges, bathrooms and commons areas.

Scholer Corp. of Lafayette, Ind., in cooperation with Rowland Design Inc. of Indianapolis, designed the renovation of the nearly 80-year-old building and incorporated modern materials such as colored concrete and manufactured wood.

"Cary Quadrangle South completes a six-phase renovation that accommodates handicapped accessibility and student and staff functions while preserving historic elements significant to the structure," said Scholer architect Ryan Haynes.

The south building renovation was completed in July 2006 and was the last of the five Cary Quadrangle buildings to be renovated. The $55 million project decreased the number of resident spaces in the all-male complex from more than 1,500 to less than 1,200 but increased the size of double-occupancy rooms and added semiprivate bathrooms and air conditioning.

In 2005, renovations to Cary Quadrangle's west building also were cited as an outstanding design by American School & University magazine.

As part of its master plan, University Residences is currently engaged in a $53 million renovation and modernization of the all-female Windsor Residence Halls, which, like Cary Quadrangle, was built largely in the 1930s. University Residences also broke ground this summer on a state-of-the-art, 350-bed residence hall with single-occupancy rooms and private bathrooms.

Executive director Barbara Frazee said University Residences is committed to providing students on-campus housing options that maximize their collegiate experience.

"We proceed flexibly in a way that makes the most sense to the university and to our customers, the nearly 12,000 students who choose to live with us each year," Frazee said. "Our approach is to both preserve university history and meet student expectations for 21st century housing."

University Residences is the largest on-campus housing system in the nation among colleges where student participation is universally voluntary. It is a completely self-supporting unit of the university. All projects are paid for by user fees, bond sales and operational savings, with no funds coming from tuition or state appropriations.

Writer: Jim Schenke, (765) 494-6262, jschenke@purdue.edu

Sources: Barbara Frazee, (765) 494-1000, bjfrazee@purdue.edu

Ryan Haynes, (765) 474-1478, rhaynes@scholer.com

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

PHOTO CAPTION:
Architects made use of modern lines, materials and colors in the award-winning renovation of historic Cary Quadrangle residence halls. (Rowland Design photo/Keith Clark)

A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2007/cary-newgrill.jpg

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