August 18, 2008

Purdue strikes balance between space needs, environment

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -
Mechanical Engineering Building rendering
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Students returning to Purdue this fall may notice several trees have been removed as part of the Mechanical Engineering Building construction project, but what may be less noticeable is that, despite the removal of some trees, the campus area is a greener place than it was last spring.

Over the summer, crews worked to prepare the site for the $34.5 million Roger B. Gatewood Wing of the Mechanical Engineering Building. The wing will add about 41,000 assignable square feet to the building and will be the first on campus to be constructed by standards established by the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System.

As part of the project, 12 trees were removed to allow utilities to be relocated at the site, and another 10 trees were taken down to prepare the actual construction site, said Don Staley, Purdue's senior landscape architect.

Staley said five trees from the site were moved to other campus locations that included the Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering, Meredith Hall and near the Wiley tennis courts. In addition, Staley said the Gatewood Wing project calls for 15 trees to be planted on the site when construction is completed.

"Trees have to come out for some projects to be successfully completed, but there is a diligent effort made to save those we can, either by keeping them on the site or by transplanting them to other locations," Staley said. "The university also operates under a 'no net loss' tree policy that requires, as part of the project budget, compensation for any trees lost in the project."

Staley said that there are annual spring and fall tree plantings that add an additional 100-150 trees to areas on campus each year. This past year, that number exceeded 200, boosted, in part, by a project that brought 77 new trees to the south part of campus.

Along with the annual plantings, Staley said there are projects carried out each year that add even more trees. For example, 40-50 trees were planted as part of the Wiley Dining Court project, and another 79 trees took root as part of a cooperative effort with the city of West Lafayette on the Cattail Trail.

"It's important we develop needed academic space in the most sustainable way we can," Staley said. "Managing our urban forest is a big part of that effort."

Writer: Brian Zink, (765) 494-2080, bzink@purdue.edu

Source: Don Staley, (765) 494-3424, djstaley@purdue.edu

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

IMAGE CAPTION:
An architectural rendering of the Roger B. Gatewood Wing of the Mechanical Engineering Building. (Image courtesy of Scholer Corp.)

A publication-quality image is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2008/me-render.jpg

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