In the fall of 2017, the school began renovations to the Delon and Elizabeth Hampton Hall of Civil Engineering. The first phase of this $5 million project is set to be complete by the fall 2018 semester.

Rao S. Govindaraju, the Bowen Engineering Head of Civil Engineering and Christopher B. and Susan S. Burke Professor of Civil Engineering, says the renovations are necessary to ensure the school’s students, faculty, and staff have the best tools and opportunities available.

"Purdue's School of Civil Engineering is known throughout the world as one of the top civil engineering institutions. We must do all that we can to support growth and innovation so that we remain a premier civil  engineering school," Govindaraju says.

"We appreciate the willingness of alumni and corporations to help fund the renovations," he says. "In particular, the S.D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation contributed $2.5 million to the renovation project."

Govindaraju adds, "We are extremely thankful to all those who donated and helped raise funds. Hampton Hall has been in need of renovations for a few years now."

Improvement Plans

The first phase of renovations focus on the ground floor and basement level areas. Improvements to the building will include an accessible entryway, improved air circulation, updates to existing laboratories for state-of-the-art civil engineering teaching and research, and new flexible-use teaching laboratories. The plan includes the following:

• Three flexible teaching labs: 1,735 sq. ft. for architectural engineering; 1,151 sq. ft. for geomatics engineering; and 1,395 sq. ft. for structural engineering
• Additional geomatics storage/lab prep/surveying lockers — 492 sq. ft.
• A new student lounge to promote collaboration — 204 sq. ft.

Robert Frosch, associate dean for resource planning and management and professor of civil engineering, says that having flexible laboratories allows the school to anticipate future teaching and research needs by  providing easily modifiable spaces calibrated to accommodate varying class sizes and a broad range of interdisciplinary activities.

"The portion of the building we’re renovating is in desperate need of work, and this will address many issues we've been facing," Frosch says. "These renovations will greatly improve experiences for our students, faculty and staff."

Professor Ayman Habib, co-director of the Civil Engineering Center for Applications of UAS for a Sustainable Environment and associate director of the Joint Transportation Research Program, looks forward to the new geomatics lab.

"This is certainly something that the geomatics area has needed for some time," Habib says. "For myself — and especially for our students — this makes our study and research so much more convenient. I’m already  looking forward to next fall."