A new, state-of-the-art engineering education complex will be created on the LSU campus via a $100 million renovation and expansion of Patrick F. Taylor Hall, officials say. Gov. Bobby Jindal and LSU administrators have just outlined a public-private partnership to fund the project, by which the governor’s office will support allocating $50 million in state capital outlay funds, with the remaining funding to be provided by private donations. To date, officials say the LSU College of Engineering has raised $8 million for the project. The design phase will start in December, with construction to begin in the fall of 2014 and completion expected in the fall of 2016. Completed in 1977, Taylor Hall remains the largest freestanding building on the LSU campus at approximately 300,000 square feet. The building has structurally depreciated over the past 30 years, and officials say it’s in need of significant repair. The renovation and addition of a new annex dedicated to chemical engineering will bring Taylor Hall’s total square footage to 380,000, and provide the LSU College of Engineering about twice as much space as it currently has.
Editor’s note: This story has been changed since its original publication. An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the total square footage included in the expansion. Daily Report regrets the error.
