February 13, 2009

Purdue trustees OK WL campus master plan, IPFW complex

The board also approved an $8.7 million contract to install a sprinkler system and air conditioning in Harrison Hall, a $34.5 million contract to build a student services and library complex at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, a $5.25 million contract to plan for the installation of a boiler at the Wade Utility Plant, and $12 million to finance and construct air handler units in the Wetherill Laboratory of Chemistry.

"The master plan will help shape the growth of the campus over the next 20-30 years," said James Almond, interim executive vice president for business and finance and treasurer. "Its strength is that it can be altered as the needs of the university change."

West Lafayette campus
master plan
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Work to update the West Lafayette campus master plan, as well as those of the regional campuses, began in fall 2006. Purdue worked with Sasaki Associates of Watertown, Mass., and Scholer Corp. of Lafayette, Ind., on the plan.

The process consisted of three phases: reconnaissance and strategic analysis; development of campus alternatives; and master plan documentation and implementation. A committee was formed, and the plan took shape from work sessions, discussions and public meetings. Constituents also gave feedback.

Five principles provide a framework for the campus plan:

* Promote compact growth within the existing campus

* Establish State Street as a collaborative center

* Create program synergies through mixed-use districts

* Encourage a simple, integrated transportation system with a perimeter parkway

* Preserve undeveloped, university-owned lands west of campus

The new plan stresses compact growth, said John Collier, director of campus planning.

"That helps eliminate sprawl and also to create community and is more sustainable," he said.

The three-year Harrison Hall project, in addition to adding sprinklers and air conditioning, also will update all student rooms. New closets and window sills will be installed, all rooms will be painted, and damaged plaster will be repaired. Harrison houses 812 students in 406 rooms.

Construction will be limited to the summers of 2009, 2010 and 2011, during which times the hall will be closed. After the project is finished in 2011, all rooms will be air-conditioned, and the building's fire alarm and sprinkler systems will have been upgraded to improve the building life safety.

The general contractor for the Harrison project is J.R. Kelly Co. Inc. of Lafayette.

University Residences repair and rehabilitation funds will pay for the work, and no tax dollars or university general fund money will be used.

The Harrison Hall renovation is part of a University Residences facilities master plan. Work is now under way on Duhme Hall and subsequent renovations will be made to Warren, Vawter and Shealy halls, all part of the Windsor Hall complex.

University Residences is self-supporting and is the largest campus housing system in the country housing students on a voluntary basis.

Construction on the student services and library complex at IPFW is expected to begin this spring. The project will involve additions to the Helmke Library, Walb Student Union and Hilliard Gates Sports Center and also will connect the buildings.

The $42.4 million project, which is anticipated to be finished in winter 2011, will include collaborative learning space, a commons, an international student center, a bookstore, a 450-seat ballroom, a coffee shop, classrooms, offices, conference rooms, a field house with a 200-meter track, fitness facilities and storage.

The board of trustees awarded the general contract for the 173,000-square-foot building to Weigand Construction Co. Inc. of Fort Wayne. Funding for the project is coming from the state, private donations and student fees.

The new boiler, which will be designed by Lutz, Daily & Brain LLC of Kansas City, will replace one that was installed in 1960, and the total cost is expected to be $53 million. The new boiler is expected to be operational prior to the 2012-2013 heating season.

The project is being funded by fee replacement bond proceeds.

The air handler project at Wetherill Laboratory will affect 475 rooms and includes the replacement of fan coil units, fume hoods, fume hood control devices, fans and general exhaust. The project is expected to improve the building's humidity control and investigate opportunities to group fume hoods into manifold exhaust systems for heat recovery purposes.

Bids for the phased project are expected to be awarded in June. The overall project is expected to take several years to complete, with the first phase projected to be finished by January 2011.

Writer: Greg McClure, (765) 494-9394, gmcclure@purdue.edu

Sources: James Almond, (765) 494-9706, jsalmond@purdue.edu

Robert McMains, vice president for physical facilites, (765) 494-8000, remcmains@purdue.edu

John A. Sautter, vice president for housing and food services, (765) 496-1022, jasautter@purdue.edu

John Collier, (765) 494-6882, jdcollier@purdue.edu  

Michael A. Wartell, chancellor of Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, (260) 481-6103, wartell@ipfw.edu

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

IMAGE CAPTION:
A plan view (top image) of the approved West Lafayette campus master plan shows potential opportunities for new buildings in red. The buildings are shown as generic blocks and situated in clusters around green spaces to define quadrangles and courtyards, which help to create green campus spaces and to provide opportunities for synergies among programs. The number of buildings shown on the plan is likely to exceed the number that might actually be built over the next 25-30 years. A conceptual perspective sketch (lower image) shows how the campus might look if the master plan is built out completely. The view is from the northeast looking southwest with Northwestern Avenue in the foreground. (Purdue University graphic)

A publication-quality image is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2009/master-plan-composite.jpg

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