July 10, 2009

Purdue trustees approve engineering lab, hospitality hall, boilers

The trustees also approved replacing air handlers in a chemistry building.

Purdue will break ground in late 2010 on phase 1 of the Herrick Laboratory Replacement project. The building, to be completed in 2012, will include Living Laboratory office space; vibration, electromechanical and thermal systems laboratories; and equipment to test alternative fuels and power generation. The building will be the third Purdue facility to seek LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Federal grants will pay $12.6 million of the $23.5 million project, with the remainder coming from gifts. Trustees approved Affiliated Engineers Inc. of Madison, Wis., to design the building.

Purdue will break ground on Marriott Hall in spring 2010. When complete in summer 2011, the building will house the College of Consumer and Family Sciences' Hospitality and Tourism Management program. The facility will have flexible space that includes a classroom and offices, along with laboratories consistent with the environment found in industry hospitality and tourism venues. The college anticipates seeking LEED certification for the Marriott Hall.

"Marriott Hall will help the HTM program remain one of the leading programs in the field worldwide," said Dennis Savaiano, dean of consumer and family sciences. "The hall will clearly communicate that the department is not only an academic facility, but also an important contributor to the future success of the industry as a whole."

Trustees approved CSO Architects of Indianapolis to design the $13 million LEED-certified building. Gifts will serve as the primary source of funds for this project.

Trustees also approved construction of the natural gas-fired Boiler No. 7 in a spot at the Wade Utility Plant that formerly housed a similar gas/oil-fired boiler. The capital reserve for buildings will provide the $7.5 million needed to purchase and install the boiler, which is expected to be on line by October 2010.

The approximately $19.35 million purchase of a clean-coal technology circulating fluidized bed boiler to replace the existing 49-year-old Boiler No. 1 at the Wade Utility Plant also received board approval. The circulating fluidized bed boiler is expected to be on line by November 2012. Purdue will use bond proceeds to purchase the new boiler from Marubenei America Corp./Sumitomo Heavy Industries of New York City.

"These boilers will burn cleaner and more efficiently," said Robert McMains, vice president for physical facilities. "This state-of-the-art technology will expand capacity to meet Purdue's growing energy needs while making use of the university's highly efficient combined heat and power system."

Purdue has increased its building space 32 percent since the last addition was made to the plant in 1990. McMains said the new boilers will reduce the plant's total emission of regulated air pollutants by 40 percent to 90 percent while increasing the plant's reliability.

Trustees also approved replacing air handler units within a chemistry building and awarded a construction contract to Shambaugh & Son, L.P., Ed Grace Division of Lafayette, Ind., to complete the phase 1 ventilation improvements in Wetherill Laboratory of Chemistry. The $6 million project will replace fan coil units, fume hoods, fume hood control devices, and general exhaust systems, and improve the building humidity control impacting 475 rooms. The project, scheduled to be completed by January 2011, will be funded with repair and rehabilitation bond proceeds.

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

Sources: Dennis Savaiano, 765-494-8210, savaiano@purdue.edu

Robert McMains, 765-494-8000, remcmains@purdue.edu

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

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