February 8, 2008

Purdue advances engineering wing, athletic complex, Calumet housing, energy efforts

The board also approved a construction contract for a new residence hall at Purdue Calumet, energy conservation work in three buildings and a lease for Lafayette Aviation.

Mechanical engineering's $34.5 million Roger B. Gatewood Wing will house a 120-seat classroom, teaching labs, instructional space, breakout spaces for the Prototype Engineering and Realization Lab, faculty and graduate student offices, graduate and undergraduate commons, research labs, and a tech-atrium.

Scholer Corp. of Lafayette, Ind. and Moody-Nolan Inc. of Indianapolis were hired in April to provide architectural and engineering work for the wing, which will add 84,500 square feet and expand the building space by 55 percent.

Purdue will apply for certification to the U.S. Green Building Council for its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating. Gatewood would be the university's first facility - and the seventh in the state - to receive that certification.

"The Gatewood Wing will be a model for sustainable facilities at Purdue," said Morgan Olsen, executive vice president and treasurer. "It represents the next generation of architecture that serves both the people inside it and the environment around it."

In honor of mechanical engineering's history as Purdue's first engineering discipline, the wing's Dr. Milton B. Hollander Atrium will showcase the clock from the original Heavilon Hall, the first mechanical engineering building on campus.

Gatewood, a 1968 Purdue mechanical engineering graduate and distinguished engineering alumnus, was the lead donor for the wing. He is the founder of Westfield Homes in St. Petersburg, Fla., which developed and constructed thousands of neighborhood homes in Illinois, Florida and the Carolinas. Besides many housing design honors, Westfield was one of the first winners of a global ReLeaf award, sponsored by the American Forestry Association and the National Association of Home Builders, for environmentally sensitive landplaning.

Addressing the increasing demand for quality urban living as an alternative to the suburban lifestyle, he formed Westbay City Homes LLC to develop affordable mixed-use communities in strategic downtown locations. Several city blocks in downtown Tampa, Fla., were assembled and rezoned to create a self-sustained urban community. He recently formed St. Pete Beach Ventures to develop boutique urban infill projects.

Gatewood, who grew up in Falls Church, Va., graduated with his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue in 1968 and earned his MBA from the University of Chicago. He was awarded the Outstanding Mechanical Engineer Award from Purdue in 2006.

The Milton B. Hollander Atrium was made possible by a gift from Betty Hollander to honor her husband, who is a 1951 Purdue mechanical engineering graduate. Milton B. Hollander is CEO and chairman of the board of Newport Electronics Inc. and holds more than 200 patents worldwide. He was previously corporate vice president of science and technology for Gulf + Western Inc. and a strong supporter of research programs at Purdue. Hollander was named a distinguished engineering alumnus in 1972.

The Northwest Athletics Complex to be planned will be home to a 1,500-seat baseball stadium designed to expand to 2,500 seats. Planning also will include upgrades to the adjacent soccer facility and a multipurpose restroom, locker room and concession building to service all venues at the site.

This continues the migration of Intercollegiate Athletics facilities from the center of campus, consolidating them along the north edge of the campus. The effort also will free up land in the core of campus for other university uses, such as recreational or residential.

No tax dollars will be used for the complex, which will be planned, financed and built in phases. The first phase is expected to cost about $15 million. Cooke Douglass Farr Lemons Ltd. of Jackson, Miss., is the architectural firm for the project.

The stadium will be comparable to others in the Big Ten and also upgrade fan and news media amenities, said athletic director Morgan Burke.

"This stadium will attract not only more student-athletes, but also will draw more people to watch Purdue sports," Burke said. "It will offer the same quality facility to the baseball program that Mackey Arena and Ross-Ade Stadium have provided for our basketball and football programs."

The board also approved an $18.1 million construction contract with Berglund Construction of Chesterton, Ind., for the $21.1 million second phase of student housing at Purdue Calumet. An L-shaped structure will provide 369 beds in 99 fully furnished units. Eighty-six units will have four bedrooms and 12 will have two bedrooms. The remaining single unit will be for the assistant housing director.

Olsen said he expects students to be living there by fall 2009. The project is funded by bonds to be repaid through student housing fees.

On Thursday (Feb. 7) the board's Physical Facilities Committee approved planning for a $3.5 million renovation of the Krannert Building's third floor, to be funded with gifts. When completed, the west half of the floor will house the Steven A. Webster Undergraduate Programs Office. The space the office currently occupies in the basement will be renovated to provide a graduate student office and study areas. Moody Nolan Inc. of Indianapolis will serve as architect and engineer.

Webster donated nearly $2.2 million to the Krannert renovations. He received his bachelor's degree from Krannert in 1973. He received his MBA from Harvard in 1975. Since then, he has been active as a principal, investor and financial intermediary in energy and other industries. He was chairman, CEO and founder of Falcon Drilling Co. and led its merger that formed R&B Falcon Corp., for which he served as president and CEO. He also was chairman of Global Energy Partners, an affiliate of Credit Suisse Private Equity. Currently, Webster is managing partner and president of Avista Capital Partners in Houston.

As part of Indiana's Qualified Energy Savings Program, the trustees approved a $4.5 million contract with Energy Systems Group of Indianapolis for the Herbert C. Brown Laboratory of Chemistry, Stewart Center and the Civil Engineering Building. The program is designed to achieve annual energy savings and reduce overall campus peak demand for steam, chilled water and electricity. Proceeds from qualified energy savings bonds will finance the work.

The board also approved a 17-year lease for Lafayette Aviation Inc.'s operation at the Purdue Airport, subject to approval by the governor and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.

Writer: Dave Kitchell, (765) 496-9711, dkitchell@purdue.edu

Sources: Morgan Olsen, (765) 494-9705, mrolsen@purdue.edu

Morgan Burke, (765) 494-3189, mjb@purdue.edu

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

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