Auburn University Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center

Auburn, AL

The Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center, a 142,000-square-foot center located on the edge of Auburn University's campus, serves as an academic resource for students interested in food and beverage or hospitality-focused careers, providing access to real-world learning experience. The center supports the nascent culinary science and hospitality program to connect excellent food and hospitality to personal well-being and development. This project is a perfect integration of expertise from Cooper Carry's Higher Education Studio, Hospitality Studio, Science + Technology Studio, and The Johnson Studio.

The Rane Center is a complex compilation of multiple building types that include The Laurel Hotel and Spa, a teaching restaurant, bakery, incubator center, culinary classrooms, instructional laboratories, functioning rooftop garden, food hall, café, courtyard as well as collaborative spaces. The Hey Day Market provides promising culinary graduates the opportunity to create a startup for their restaurant concept with two stalls set aside for incubators. If their concepts become successful, they can graduate into a larger stall, an on-campus location, or an off-campus restaurant.

Given the site's proximity to downtown Auburn, we carefully considered urban planning impact and the connection between academics and commerce. The site’s open design invites members of the community to explore the foodhall, courtyard, restaurant, hotel and rooftop.

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