Grissom Hall Celebration

On October 9, 2015, the Purdue University School of Industrial Engineering held a celebration and open house for its "reimagined" home in Grissom Hall. Built in 1906, the building needed a makeover to enable the school to better train the engineers of 2020 and beyond. The three-story building was gutted and "reimagined", and construction took less than a year to complete.

"We're creating better usability of existing spaces," said Robert Frosch, associate dean of engineering for resource planning and management and professor of civil engineering. "The renovated Grissom ties together elements of the past with modern technologies. The improved look and feel of the building will provide enhanced capabilities for the School of Industrial Engineering while providing a great space for both undergraduate and graduate students."

The Grissom Hall project is part of Daniels' Purdue Moves effort, which includes expansion of Purdue Engineering as one of its major priorities. The repurposed space includes a striking visual focal point for the building and the school - the Peter Wang Student Excellence Center on the first floor. The majority of the changes add light and improve space usage, particularly with a "hot desking" style of desk sharing for graduate and undergraduate students. With this system, more students are able to use the available space and collaboration is facilitated.

The building is named for the late Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, one of the original NASA Project Mercury astronauts and the second American to fly in space.