Auburn University Culinary Science Center Receives Construction Excellence Award

Program management firm HPM recently announced that one of its recent projects—the Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center at Auburn University—has been recognized by the South Atlantic Chapter of Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) as a 2023 Project Achievement Award winner. A news release reports that the Project Achievement Awards are intended to highlight exemplary projects completed by construction and program managers around the nation.

The 142,000-square-foot complex offers active and immersive learning opportunities for hospitality and culinary-science students. Amenities include training kitchens and restaurants, a retail food hall, a boutique hotel, and labs. The first floor of the building also features a tasting-menu teaching restaurant called 1856. HPM’s involvement in the project began in 2019.

The news release reports that the Culinary Science Center was one of 36 projects in the region to receive an award based on “its commitment to program management excellence, innovation, and resilience in completing the project with minimal setbacks or disruptions.”

“I am immensely proud of my team at HPM for their dedication to ensuring this state-of-the-art learning facility was delivered to Auburn without delay and in a cost-effective manner,” said Ryan Austin, HPM President. “This award is a true testament to our ability to think outside of the box within our industry and achieve the best results possible for our clients, no matter the circumstances. We thank Auburn for their invaluable partnership, as well as CMAA for recognizing our team’s hard work.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Colorado School District Breaks Ground on Unified PK–12 Campus

    The Haxtun School District No. Re-2J in Haxtun, Colo., recently announced that ground has been broken on a renovation/addition project that will unite its two schools, Haxtun Elementary and Haxtun Jr/Sr High School, according to a news release.

  • Deferred Maintenance Issues Growing at Universities, Gordian Reports

    U.S. colleges and universities are falling increasingly behind on facilities maintenance and repair, according to Gordian’s 13th annual State of Facilities in Higher Education report. The deferred capital renewal burden has reached $156 per gross square foot, an 8% increase over the previous year.

  • Universities Continue to Launch Multimillion-Dollar Campus Transformations

    What makes the current wave of campus development especially noteworthy is its emphasis on multi-use functionality and community integration. Institutions are no longer investing solely in academic or athletic facilities in isolation. Instead, they are creating destinations that blend recreation, health, housing, and event-driven economic activity.

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.