My Major's Home
Purdue has 17 different engineering majors for students to choose from and almost all of them have a building that they call their “home”. Students spend a lot of time in their major’s building because many of their classes will be held there, and it serves as a great study or meeting spot. Because these buildings are such an important part of each major, we want to share their cool features and facilities!
Since there are many engineering majors and therefore so many unique engineering buildings at Purdue, we wanted to showcase where our own majors call home as well as highlight a few prominent buildings that house other popular majors. For each building, we give a brief background and history on when the building was originally built and other cool labs or features the buildings include.
Renovated in 2020, the Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) building is one of the most modern buildings on campus, and the community of Agricultural and Biological engineers are happy to call it home. The ABE building is located in the heart of the life sciences area of campus, meaning ABE students are just a short walk away from Purdue’s Horticulture Garden which is full of plants and flowers in the warmer months.
The building’s renovation in 2020 consolidated research facilities from multiple buildings into one single hub for ABE students. It has numerous research areas and labs for undergraduate classes, including wet labs for students to get hands-on experience with lab techniques. Another interesting resource that can be found here is the tractor simulator, where students can experience what using a tractor in an agricultural setting is like. This building was designed with a focus on shared spaces and encouraging social interaction, so it is a great place to study or meet with friends or project groups. ABE students can also find a cute coffee shop called Java House right inside their building. Great for when you need a snack between classes or some caffeine to keep you going! Follow this link for a virtual tour of the building and some of its other amenities.
The Delon and Elizabeth Hampton Hall of Civil Engineering is the building home to the Lyles School of Civil Engineering. Located on Purdue’s Engineering Mall on the north end of academic campus, this building was originally constructed in 1952 and was formerly known as the Materials and Structural Testing Laboratories Building. It stayed as the home of these disciples until 1961 when it then became the Civil Engineering Building, and has stayed the home of Purdue’s School of Civil Engineering ever since.
Some even more recent changes to the building have added exciting features such as the Green Roof where you can sit outside. The green roof was created so that students could have a new place to study in a real-world sustainability setting. The patio contains many different kinds of plants as long as instruments to measure energy flux and a weather station.
Another interesting and unique part of Hampton Hall is the indoor water-fall. This water-fall is dedicated to the hydrology and hydraulics facilities for teaching and research related to water resources. This interactive waterfall runs from the ceiling to the floor and has an artistic feature that feeds water into a working river model that is used for demonstrations and experimentation in the classroom.
The Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering (listed as ARMS on maps) is one of the centralized parts of Purdue’s College of Engineering. This building was completed in 2007 but the Schools housed in it have been a part of the Purdue College of Engineering since 1945 for Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering (AAE) and Materials Engineering (MSE) in 1923. Armstrong Hall is also home now to the Engineering Education department which was established in the college in 2004.
Since there are many engineering majors and therefore so many unique engineering buildings at Purdue, we wanted to showcase where our own majors call home as well as highlight a few prominent buildings that house other popular majors. For each building, we give a brief background and history on when the building was originally built and other cool labs or features the buildings include.
Agricultural & Biological Engineering Building: The Home of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
The entrance to the Agricultural and Biological Engineering building which is located on the southern side of academic campus.
Renovated in 2020, the Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) building is one of the most modern buildings on campus, and the community of Agricultural and Biological engineers are happy to call it home. The ABE building is located in the heart of the life sciences area of campus, meaning ABE students are just a short walk away from Purdue’s Horticulture Garden which is full of plants and flowers in the warmer months.
The building’s renovation in 2020 consolidated research facilities from multiple buildings into one single hub for ABE students. It has numerous research areas and labs for undergraduate classes, including wet labs for students to get hands-on experience with lab techniques. Another interesting resource that can be found here is the tractor simulator, where students can experience what using a tractor in an agricultural setting is like. This building was designed with a focus on shared spaces and encouraging social interaction, so it is a great place to study or meet with friends or project groups. ABE students can also find a cute coffee shop called Java House right inside their building. Great for when you need a snack between classes or some caffeine to keep you going! Follow this link for a virtual tour of the building and some of its other amenities.
Hampton Hall: The Home of Civil Engineering
A painting of Hampton Hall via the Lyles School of Civil Engineering’s Twitter Page.
The Delon and Elizabeth Hampton Hall of Civil Engineering is the building home to the Lyles School of Civil Engineering. Located on Purdue’s Engineering Mall on the north end of academic campus, this building was originally constructed in 1952 and was formerly known as the Materials and Structural Testing Laboratories Building. It stayed as the home of these disciples until 1961 when it then became the Civil Engineering Building, and has stayed the home of Purdue’s School of Civil Engineering ever since.
Some even more recent changes to the building have added exciting features such as the Green Roof where you can sit outside. The green roof was created so that students could have a new place to study in a real-world sustainability setting. The patio contains many different kinds of plants as long as instruments to measure energy flux and a weather station.
The indoor waterfall in Hampton Hall.
Another interesting and unique part of Hampton Hall is the indoor water-fall. This water-fall is dedicated to the hydrology and hydraulics facilities for teaching and research related to water resources. This interactive waterfall runs from the ceiling to the floor and has an artistic feature that feeds water into a working river model that is used for demonstrations and experimentation in the classroom.
Neil Armstrong Hall: The Home of Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering and Materials Engineering
The north entrance of the Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering.
The Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering (listed as ARMS on maps) is one of the centralized parts of Purdue’s College of Engineering. This building was completed in 2007 but the Schools housed in it have been a part of the Purdue College of Engineering since 1945 for Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering (AAE) and Materials Engineering (MSE) in 1923. Armstrong Hall is also home now to the Engineering Education department which was established in the college in 2004.
Outside of the north entrance of Neil Armstrong Hall sits an 8 foot tall sculpture of Neil Armstrong dressed in his college student attire as well as lunar footprints made from molds of actual moon boots from the Smithsonian Museum. The roof of the building spans past the end of the building, emulating the wings of a plane.
Located inside the building is a spacious atrium that often contains alumni events at which alumni come to Purdue to talk about industry or present their research. The atrium is also home to a replica of the Apollo 1 capsule as well as a replica of an early 1960s space plane, both replicas marking important historical developments in the race to the moon. The atrium has booths lining the floor to ceiling windows in which students can be seen studying. Spread among the floors of the Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering are study spots and even a café with Starbucks products in the basement.
Other interesting features in Armstrong Hall include the many laboratories for MSE and AAE. The School of Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering have wind tunnels in their Aerodynamics lab and a high drop tour in the Aerospace Two-Phase Flow Lab. The School of Materials Engineering has various Processing and Mechanical Testing labs as well as Microscopy labs on the second floor and in the basement of the building.
The Forney Hall of Chemical Engineering was named after Dr. Robert Clyde Forney, who was a Senior Vice President of DuPont, and his wife Marilyn Forney who was also a chemical engineer at Purdue. The Davidson School of Chemical Engineering was named after Charles D. Davidson, whose donations have allowed for the expansion and updates to the school.
While the school was established in 1906, the Chemical and Metallurgical Building (CMET) wasn’t put into construction until 1940. On the southwest entrance, the original seal can still be seen, where the motto reads “service through chemical change”. The doorway features the symbols for the processes of solution, fermentation, filtration, fixation, putrefaction, separation and sublimation. The schools of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering separated in 1959, but the original CMET label is still present on Forney’s entrance facing the Engineering Mall.
Inside Forney is the Henson Atrium, which is a popular study spot for students and activities for student organizations or recruiters. The Atrium is crossed over by balconies to get from one side of the building to the other, the “old” and “new” sides from renovations. The Atrium has history on display as well, through timelines, old class photographs, and textbooks. There are a few study rooms located outside of the Atrium on the ground floor, as well as an undergraduate lounge in the basement. While most of Forney is individual lab or office space, G140 is a common room for classes, club meetings, and exams. G124 and B124 serve a similar purpose, though smaller in capacity. Forney also has many computer labs for students to access software for their classes, and printers; these labs are also a great study spot. Though Forney Hall is the “official” location for chemical engineering, undergraduate chemical engineering students will also have labs in the Chaney Hale Hall of Science, a short walking distance from Forney that overlooks the Engineering Fountain.
The Armstrong Atrium: a popular space for College of Engineering events and special lecture series.
Other interesting features in Armstrong Hall include the many laboratories for MSE and AAE. The School of Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering have wind tunnels in their Aerodynamics lab and a high drop tour in the Aerospace Two-Phase Flow Lab. The School of Materials Engineering has various Processing and Mechanical Testing labs as well as Microscopy labs on the second floor and in the basement of the building.
Forney Hall: The Home of Chemical Engineering
Forney Hall was renamed in 2002, and a new addition to the building started construction.
The Forney Hall of Chemical Engineering was named after Dr. Robert Clyde Forney, who was a Senior Vice President of DuPont, and his wife Marilyn Forney who was also a chemical engineer at Purdue. The Davidson School of Chemical Engineering was named after Charles D. Davidson, whose donations have allowed for the expansion and updates to the school.
While the school was established in 1906, the Chemical and Metallurgical Building (CMET) wasn’t put into construction until 1940. On the southwest entrance, the original seal can still be seen, where the motto reads “service through chemical change”. The doorway features the symbols for the processes of solution, fermentation, filtration, fixation, putrefaction, separation and sublimation. The schools of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering separated in 1959, but the original CMET label is still present on Forney’s entrance facing the Engineering Mall.
Inside Forney is the Henson Atrium, which is a popular study spot for students and activities for student organizations or recruiters. The Atrium is crossed over by balconies to get from one side of the building to the other, the “old” and “new” sides from renovations. The Atrium has history on display as well, through timelines, old class photographs, and textbooks. There are a few study rooms located outside of the Atrium on the ground floor, as well as an undergraduate lounge in the basement. While most of Forney is individual lab or office space, G140 is a common room for classes, club meetings, and exams. G124 and B124 serve a similar purpose, though smaller in capacity. Forney also has many computer labs for students to access software for their classes, and printers; these labs are also a great study spot. Though Forney Hall is the “official” location for chemical engineering, undergraduate chemical engineering students will also have labs in the Chaney Hale Hall of Science, a short walking distance from Forney that overlooks the Engineering Fountain.
There are many other buildings on campus where other engineering majors call home–such as Grissom Hall for Industrial Engineering or Max W and Maileen Brown Family Hall for Electrical Engineering–, so the list could go on. Let us know if you have any questions about any of these buildings or homes of other majors!
Morgan Lehmkuhl CE '25, Madison Meunier ChE '27,
Lily Brodiznski ChE ‘25, and Christine Mayo ChE ‘26
Recruitment Project Committee
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