With the exciting expansion of Auburn’s educational and technological sectors, the College of Human Sciences is set to break ground on its new academic and research facility this January. The Barbara Drummond Thorne Academic and Research Facility is projected to be an innovative new complex, hosting multiple programs in human design, interior design, apparel design and merchandising, as well as human development family science and nutritional sciences.
A visionary and deeply logistical construction schedule is underway. After over 12 years of contemplation, discussion and research, this facility was finally launched as an official capital project earlier this year. Additionally, the project received its third and final board approval during the September 2024 meeting and is scheduled to be put out for bid by the end of the calendar year.
With a total project budget of $100 million, this building will rise on the former site of Spidle Hall, serving as a landmark at the heart of campus and extending from Mell Street to Roosevelt Drive. Following the scheduled demolition of Spidle Hall this fall, the new facility will surpass its predecessor in size, encompassing roughly 138,000 square feet of state-of-the-art space. It is expected to celebrate its completion by either spring or summer of 2027, with members of the Human Sciences being able to start inside the building fall of 2027. Mary Melissa Taddeo, the director of Capitol Project Studios who helps lead and direct the University's campus capitol projects, states that the team is still in the design phase.
This development will be designed to set a learning environment ushering in academic excellence, competitive research, interdisciplinary collaboration and multipurpose facilities for students and professors alike. Taddeo comments on this unique aspect as well as the benefit of having faculty in one building, something Spidle Hall was lacking.
“[This facility will] bring all of the human science departments under one roof," Taddeo said. "The collaboration factor is going to be huge. [Right now] the human sciences are dispersed in multiple buildings on campus. [...] At times, you have to force [collaboration] to happen if you're in different places geographically. Bringing everyone under the same roof [will] foster organic connections."
Extensive project coordination has guided the planning of this new facility. Earlier this year, the College of Education opened its new building, creating vacancies in Haley Center that will temporarily house the students and administration of the College of Human Sciences, until the construction of the Barbara Drummond Throne Academic and Research Facility is complete. Due to the efficiency of this development process being aligned with other campus projects as previously mentioned, Taddeo notes that the schedule of construction has been executed extremely quickly. This research and academic facility is on an accelerated trajectory to becoming a defining cornerstone of learning and innovation for Auburn University.
Not only will the research facility transcend the College of Human Sciences facilities in physical size, but it will also transform the learning environment through influential infrastructure and specialized facilities. Taddeo shares the specific details of the new building, such as the interior designing classrooms.
"It has the full complement of classrooms and teaching labs. A lot of human science classrooms are less traditional classrooms than they are workshops," Taddeo said. "The interior design workshops are a great example of that."
These unique spaces will also serve as an attractive feature for prospective students, as tours inside the building begin upon the completion of the construction.
"It's those unique types of spaces that are actually put on display," Taddeo said. "[...] The College will be used as a recruiting tool, having prospective students tour through the building and see all the great work that the College does."
Centered to be a pillar of academic excellence and a centerpiece for talented work, the Barbara Drummond Throne Academic and Research Facility is designed to foster collaboration and growth for both the College of Human Sciences, as well as the broader Auburn community.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
