Purdue University | West Lafayette, IN
Merrick & Company in association with BSA Life Structures (Indianapolis) designed a new center for agricultural animal research and meat processing education at Purdue University, officially named the Hobart and Russell Creighton Hall of Animal Sciences and the Land O’ Lakes Center for Experiential Learning Complex. The building is divided into two sections: a three-story teaching and research Laboratory Wing (Creighton Hall) and a two-story Arena and Animal Studies Wing (Land O’ Lakes Center). Merrick was responsible for the architectural design and the electrical engineering for the interior of the Animal Studies Wing, and the mechanical and plumbing engineering for the entire facility. BSA Life Structures designed the building exterior shell of the complex and the electrical systems for the Laboratory Wing. Structural engineering was provided by Fink Roberts & Petrie, Inc. (Indianapolis).
The Animal Studies Wing features a 6,800 SF Arena for classes and show events involving large agricultural animals – cattle, sheep, pigs, etc., and telescoping bleachers with a capacity for 200 people. Other features include a large-animal Holding Room, a Meat Processing Abattoir, two meat cutting classrooms, two sample labs, a smokehouse and packaging suite, a research kitchen, and a public retail shop. The entire second level of the wing is dedicated to MEP support of the facility, with the AHUs located in the basement of the adjacent lab wing.
The new facility in envisioned as a transformative environment to encourage collaboration and engagement among peers with diverse interests. The facility program includes research and teaching labs, classrooms and offices. Laboratory spaces include an USDA inspected meat lab, and large animal classroom and show spaces. The new facility will consolidate the Animal Sciences program into a cohesive complex. Animal Sciences is currently scattered across six buildings, not including the farms.
One of the key goals for the new facility is to provide modern research and teaching space, replacing four outdated facilities while consolidating Animal Sciences students, faculty and staff into a unified complex to facilitate synergies in learning, outreach, and discovery in a collaborative environment. The facility will address research, extension and education in animal and life sciences. New state-of-the-art facilities are essential to attract top tier students and continue as a premier Animal Sciences program on a national level. New facilities will foster greater multidisciplinary collaboration among faculty in a variety of departments within the Colleges of Agriculture, Engineering, Health and Human Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine.
The building is 125,000 GSF with a construction budget of $60 million. Turner Construction was hired as the Construction Manager and began demolition work on site in February 2016. The project was completed in August 2018.