On Sept. 15, Auburn University’s School of Hospitality Management held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center, a six-floor, 142,000-sf mixed-use building that includes a boutique hotel, culinary and commercial baking labs, a teaching restaurant, a spa, functioning rooftop garden, food hall, café, courtyard and concierge-style hotel suites.
Cooper Carry designed this project, which was built by Bailey-Harris Construction. The construction included mass timber components that were donated by Jimmy Rane, president and CEO of Great Southern Wood in Abbeville, Ala. (The building is named in honor of Rane’s parents.) The Center is part of Auburn’s College of Human Sciences, which offers students opportunities to train with leading chefs and hospitality experts. Ithaka Hospitality serves as the commercial operator in partnership with the College of Human Sciences.
“As a land-grant institution, our mission is to put practical knowledge into the hands of those who can use it, create economic opportunities, and improve the quality of our lives. I believe the Rane Culinary Science Center will do just that,” said Christopher B. Roberts, Auburn University’s president.
Click here for a virtual tour of the building.
The Center blends academic and revenue-generating elements. The building’s first floor focuses on culinary sciences. A fine-dining restaurant called 1856, and the food hall Hey Day Market, with nine vendor stalls, are on this floor, which also features a two-story wine room with an international stock.
One of the vendor stalls serves as an incubator where students can develop business concepts and even launch start-up operations.
The building’s second and third floors focus on beverage experiences, and include a wine appreciation learning center with 50 tasting tables, distilled beverages classroom, a brewing lab, expo kitchen, and collaborative spaces. The third floor has several adaptive learning classrooms and a culinary lab with AV equipment for honing students’ skills at photographing F&B creations to leverage social media.
On the top three floors, The Laurel Hotel & Spa offers 16 rooms, 10 suites, six residences, a spa, fitness studio, rooftop pool, and yoga pavilion. The hotel provides students with learning how to operate a hospitality facility. The 41,000-sf rooftop gardens were designed and are maintained by Auburn University’s College of Agriculture’s horticulture department.
In forming the design team, Cooper Carry drew upon the expertise of the firm’s Higher Education Studio, Hospitality Studio, The Johnson Studio, Retail Studio and Science + Technology Studio. Several Cooper Carry designers who are also Auburn University graduates worked on the project.
Related Stories
| Jul 23, 2014
Architecture Billings Index up nearly a point in June
AIA reported the June ABI score was 53.5, up from a mark of 52.6 in May.
| Jul 21, 2014
Economists ponder uneven recovery, weigh benefits of big infrastructure [2014 Giants 300 Report]
According to expert forecasters, multifamily projects, the Panama Canal expansion, and the petroleum industry’s “shale gale” could be saving graces for commercial AEC firms seeking growth opportunities in an economy that’s provided its share of recent disappointments.
| Jul 18, 2014
Contractors warm up to new technologies, invent new management schemes [2014 Giants 300 Report]
“UAV.” “LATISTA.” “CMST.” If BD+C Giants 300 contractors have anything to say about it, these new terms may someday be as well known as “BIM” or “LEED.” Here’s a sampling of what Giant GCs and CMs are doing by way of technological and managerial innovation.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Construction Management Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Jacobs, Barton Malow, Hill International top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest construction management and project management firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Contractors [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Turner, Whiting-Turner, Skanska top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest contractors in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Engineering firms look to bolster growth through new services, technology [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Following solid revenue growth in 2013, the majority of U.S.-based engineering and engineering/architecture firms expect more of the same this year, according to BD+C’s 2014 Giants 300 report.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Engineering/Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Jacobs, AECOM, Parsons Brinckerhoff top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest engineering/architecture firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Engineering Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Fluor, Arup, Day & Zimmermann top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest engineering firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Gensler, Perkins+Will, NBBJ top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest architecture firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
2014 Giants 300 Report
Building Design+Construction magazine's annual ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.
