Academic Buildings

All of our departments, from the sciences to the arts, are housed in the academic buildings best-suited to fit their students’ needs. Each of these buildings offer students the resources they need to thrive in their area of study, in and out of their academic classrooms.

Read more about each of our unique academic buildings.

Euler Science Complex

At 137,000 square feet, Taylor University’s Euler Science Complex is the largest single building in Taylor’s history. This four-story facility opened for classroom use in Fall 2012 and has received a LEED Gold certification. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is the top third party verification system for green buildings, which incorporate environmental, social, and economic benefits through the entire building’s life cycle.

Check out many of Euler’s creative and innovative sustainability features that enhance not only the environmental benefits for the campus and community, but allow for more innovative research, teaching, and learning for faculty and students.

• Heliostat Atrium – A four-story circular atrium hosts a heliostat that directs natural light throughout the center of the building. The heliostat is comprised of a 12-foot diameter mirror and drive system which aligns the circular mirror to track with the sun, reflecting this natural light into the building, down the stair column to the ground level floor, where it illuminates a glass mosaic.
• Geothermal Heating and Cooling – Six wells access the aquifer beneath the campus in order to provide up to 600 gallons per minute of 55-degrees-Fahrenheit water for heating and cooling of the Complex year-round. To avoid thermal pollution of the surrounding water and land, the outflow of water from these systems is quickly brought to ambient temperature using architectural features.
• Solar Panels – These panels provide approximately 1% of the total energy needs of the Complex. A percentage of this power is also diverted to the engineering laboratory on the second floor for experimentation and research by students.
• Rooftop Teaching and Research Laboratory – A large portion of the flat roof of the Complex is utilized for education and research. Students and faculty can walk on special roof tiles that consist largely of recycled tires without damaging them, providing access to discovery for students in fields including astronomy, physics, biology, and space science. In the rooftop garden, large, reconfigurable trays hold plants like sedum, nodding onion, hen and chicks, and ornamental chive. These plants help absorb sunlight during the summer and insulate the building during the winter, lowering heating and cooling costs and providing teaching and learning opportunities.
• Systems Monitoring Room – Real-time critical information about the building, its systems, and environment is available to students, faculty, K-12 students, and other visitors though a live display interface. The data is stored over time, is used to research sustainability and renewable energy, and will also be accessible via the Internet. Information collected includes energy provided by the solar cells, energy use by the building, zone-by-zone and as a function of time, geothermal water use and temperatures, potable water use, turnover of air in the building, and building CO2 levels
• SMART classrooms – Euler contains classrooms, conference rooms, and interaction labs of various sizes complete with SMART technology. The classrooms and labs have been thoughtfully put together to provide ample space for equipment, research, innovation, growth, and best practice in pedagogically appropriate teaching and technology.

While a majority of the building is dedicated to biochemistry and chemistry, biology, computer science, engineering, mathematics, physics, and public health majors, the lower level has space dedicated for the Education department.

Rupp Communication Arts Center

Home to Communication and Film majors, Rupp Communication Arts Center houses The Echo and Ilium student publications as well as the 320-seat Mitchell Theater and the WTUR student radio station.

Eight video and two audio editing suites allow students to work around the clock on class projects. Several classrooms are equipped with SMART boards, HD Projection, and 7.1 Dolby ® surround sound. A state-of-the-art Mac Lab boasts twenty-one 27-inch iMac computers equipped with Adobe Creative Cloud, Avid Media Composer, Davinci Resolve, Pro Tools, Final Draft, Celtx, Storyboard Quick, and EP Movie Magic Budgeting software, as well as laser printers to print out student work.

Rupp also houses a television and film studio with a control room, green screen, AutoScript teleprompter, ETC Express lighting control system, Sony multi-camera switcher, Yamaha digital audio mixer, and much more.

Smith-Hermanson Music Center

Connected to Rupp and Metcalf, the Smith-Hermanson Music Center provides a sound-proof space for music students to thrive. The Music Center houses an electronic music studio, a music technology lab, teaching studios, 18 rehearsal rooms, and practice rooms for all music students’ needs. It also contains the 250-seat Butz-Carruth Recital Hall, fully equipped for quality music performances.

Other music equipment include:

• 47 pianos across campus
• Wind, brass, string, and percussion instruments
• Electronic and pipe organs
• Five-octave handbells
• African drums
• Drum sets and keyboards

Modelle Metcalf Visual Arts Center

Taylor’s Art department is housed in the 38,000-square-foot Modelle Metcalf Visual Arts Center. The center provides a variety of specialized classrooms and workspaces for drawing, painting, printmaking, graphic design, photography, sculpture, ceramics, and jewelry making. It also contains a state-of-the-art Mac lab and audio-visual classrooms, two different gallery spaces for both professional and student art shows, a photography studio, a lecture hall, and ample space for critiquing works displayed in the hallways. Naturally lit classrooms have storage spaces for student artwork with the option of directed spot lighting.

Randall Environmental Center

Our award-winning, 22,000-square-foot facility is dedicated solely to the Earth and Environmental Sciences department and serves as a reflection of Taylor’s approach to the “field” of environmental science: humans working in and with nature.

The Randall Environmental Center incorporates state-of-the-art interior environmental design with exterior views of adjacent natural areas. This facility is used for teaching, research, and service and houses faculty offices, classrooms, labs, and features for educational outreach. The specialized laboratories are equipped for biotic analysis, satellite image retrieval, computer mapping, soil analysis, and plant systematics.

Some of Randall’s facilities include:

• Greenhouse for course labs, research, and campus horticultural projects.
• Museum housing the Bower Collection of North American and African Savanna Specimens.
• Environmental growth chambers where student researchers can control all environmental aspects for the monitoring of plant growth during experimentation.
• Geographic Information System (GIS) with computer software for geographic database mapping and large format printing.
• Large Rock and Mineral Collection on display and used in coursework, especially for students focusing on Earth Sciences.
• Field Research Equipment in botany, ecology, geology, soils, and hydrology.
• The Arboretum just outside the Randall Center spans 145-acres of natural area and contains a variety of ecosystems used for teaching course material and faculty-student research, including: mature woodlands, meadows, a small pond, a prairie demonstration plot, and a 5-year succession plot. The arboretum has instrumentation for ongoing monitoring of weather conditions within its various ecosystems.
• 24 shallow groundwater monitoring wells in an area proposed for wetland reconstruction. Since 2005, students have been a part of every aspect of this research and proposal including hydrology, soil, and plant inventories. The proposed wetland reconstruction will provide a retention and treatment system for campus stormwater management and serve as a significant resource for ecological study.

Nussbaum Science Building

Adjoining Euler Science Complex, the 58,000 square-foot Nussbaum Science Center hosts two large- and two medium-sized lecture halls and a variety of science labs and classrooms to support the Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Math, Physics, Engineering, and Professional Writing programs. Perched atop the Nussbaum Science Center is the observatory, featuring two reflecting telescopes: a 10-inch Celestron and an 8-inch Meade. Both have motor mounts for all-night star tracking.

Reade Liberal Arts Center

Reade Liberal Arts Center provides space for many of our Foundational Core programs, including the Biblical Literature, English, Spanish, Social Work, Sociology, History & Political Science, TESOL, and Business programs. These programs utilize Reade’s computer lab and various-sized classrooms, each of which are equipped with a projector, computer, laptop inputs, DVD player, and document camera.

Ayres Alumni Memorial Hall

Ayres houses the Psychology department, as well as several academic office spaces for our University Centers and the Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) program. One large state-of-the-art classroom (referred to as the “Courtroom”) and two smaller classrooms are located on the main floor.

Zondervan Library

With over 200,000 books and journals on its shelves, Zondervan Library provides access to a wide range of online information in the form of journals, eBooks, and scholarly articles and print resources that support teaching, student research, and a broad spectrum of learning. Most of this information provided through the library is not freely available on the web.

Librarians and student research assistants are available to answer any questions on how to start your research or where to find a particular item. Visit the “Check Out” desk to borrow resources such as books, LCD projectors, iPads, and much more. Zondervan Library also has a variety of spaces—including 19 study rooms—for working individually or as a group. A Tech Express Desk is also available during library hours for students with technology-related problems.