Campus Feature Armory Parking Lot Pervious Pavement and Bioswales Purdue University’s Armory building dates back to 1928, when it was rebuilt after a fire, and currently houses several clubs, fundraisers, and other events on campus (including Boiler Gold Rush). Although the asphalt parking lot is not porous, there are concrete strips at the head of two of the three main aisles and a series of bioswales to drain excess stormwater into the ground. During heavy rainfall, stormwater is diverted to the university pond through…
Campus Feature Band Practice Field Permeable pavement allows water to drain through it, reducing storm water runoff and pollutants. Instead of creating this area using asphalt, Purdue placed permeable pavement to aid in reducing storm water runoff.
Campus Feature Bioswale at Bill and Sally Hanley Hall The Bill and Sally Hanley Hall is a three-story addition to Fowler Memorial House, and houses the Department of Human Development and Family Studies. When it was built, Hanley Hall included a bioswale in front of the building on its State Street face, to collect downspout runoff and divert it from the storm sewer. The bioswale includes native plants, such as red twig dogwood and birch trees, and work was completed in 2011. Making the…
Campus Feature Bioswales at Mann Hall, Discovery Park The bioswales at Purdue Discovery Park were installed during the sixth phase of landscaping work, completed in 2009. Located on the west side of Mann Hall, the bioswales slow and/or eliminate excess stormwater into the sewage system, help maintain the area's hydrological profile, and clean the water off pollutants. The water is receded from the grassy mall area into the bioswale, and it then meanders slowly downhill before it goes into the drain, soaking into…
Campus Feature Black Cultural Center Bioswales The Black Cultural Center brings together the wonderful diversity of the Purdue community by nurturing and presenting the rich heritage of the African American experience through art, history and cultural understanding. The building’s parking lot was graded so that runoff not infiltrating the porous asphalt (or pervious paving) would collect at a bioswale in the center. The central bioswale is surrounded by impervious concrete pavement to keep debris and particulates from clogging the porous asphalt.…
Campus Feature Black Cultural Center pervious pavement Pervious pavement is a valuable resource for conservation and water contol in urban areas. It eliminates flooding and water runoff by allowing storm water to sift through the pavement, rather than collect and eventually carry oil and other pollutants into the sewage system. The Black Cultural Center is one of several areas on Purdue campus that uses pervious pavement.
Campus Feature First Street Towers Native Landscaping First Street Towers, completed in 2009, was the first residential native landscaping project on campus. The facility has native plants mixed with traditional varieties (e.g. spring bulbs), but is centered on the native varieties, such as little bluestem grass, prairie dropseed, and deschampsia. The landscaping was accomplished with the active involvement of the Tower residents and managers, who identified various issues to be addressed by the Grounds Crew. The landscape currently being installed (and which…
Campus Feature Football Practice Field Infiltration Beds These beds are built beneath the surface and provide temporary storage and infiltration of storm water runoff. Utilizing a clean stone media, they allow water to collect and then naturally filter through to recharge the ground water aquifer.
Campus Feature Harrison/Hillenbrand Hall Rain Garden The rain garden between Harrison and Hillenbrand residence halls is an entirely student-led project, under the auspices of the Boiler Green Initiative (BGI). BGI obtained grant funding for the project, designed the rain garden, and worked with Purdue University to install the rain garden. The group had also consulted with residence hall representatives to determine a suitable place for the rain garden, to accomplish both sustainable stormwater management and educate the Purdue community. Completed in…
Campus Feature Harrison Street Bioswales and Infiltration Planters The Harrison Street bioswales and infiltration planters were included as part of the city’s project when the street was upgraded. The project included infiltration planters along Harrison Street, to allow excess stormwater to infiltrate into the ground, and the water is then piped away. The bioswales were completed in 2012, and used native sedge plants. Office of University Sustainability
