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Rendering of the landscape plans for the east side of New Frontiers Agricultural Hall
This conceptional rendering shows what the landscape environment could look like on the east side of the new home for Oklahoma State University Agriculture. (Rendering provided by OSU Facilities Management)

New home for OSU Agriculture features collaborative outdoor spaces

Thursday, May 23, 2024

Media Contact: Mandy Gross | Senior Manager of Strategic and VP Communications | 405-744-4063 | mandy.gross@okstate.edu

Oklahoma State University Agriculture is partnering with OSU Landscape Services to develop several outdoor gathering spaces around the new cutting-edge facility for the Ferguson College of Agriculture, OSU Ag Research and OSU Extension.

The east side of the building will feature an outdoor patio, plaza and grand pathway that accentuates the surrounding buildings and supports the land-grant mission, said Nick Ouellette, university landscape design manager.

“The east corridor creates an inviting pathway that offers opportunities for engagement, education, creativity and relaxation,” Ouellette said. “This space also provides an ideal place to take a break between classes, socialize, study and enjoy a snack.”

OSU Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture students and landscape architecture design interns assisted in developing landscape plans for the new building.

Randy Raper, OSU Agriculture assistant vice president of facilities, oversees the New Frontiers construction project and has worked closely with Ouellette and Landscape Services during the design process.

“Nick and his team have created a beautiful landscape design with a plaza-like atmosphere on the east side between the new building and the Noble Research Center that will complement both buildings,” Raper said. “This space will increase collaboration between the two buildings and programming across OSU Agriculture.”

Located directly outside Larry and Kay’s Dairy Bar, the outdoor patio will have five tables, two benches and a living plant wall that will serve as a gathering spot for students, faculty and staff.

Preserved pieces of the Dairy Building will be used in landscaping features surrounding the outdoor patio. The Dairy Bar was housed in the Dairy Building, which was demolished in 2006 to create room for the Henry Bellmon Research Center.

“One of the raised garden beds along the plaza will also display multiple reclaimed architectural building remnants preserved from the 1928 dairy barn,” Ouellette said. “Preserving OSU history and displaying the building elements in a way that brings back memories to many is living by The Cowboy Code.”

A unique piece of the outdoor patio will be the living plant wall, a 20-foot wide and 8-foot-tall vegetative wall that will include more than 200 plants.

“Living walls offer a variety of economic, environmental and social benefits, which allow us to connect with nature and enhance our health and well-being,” Ouellette said.

The wall design will start with colorful annuals for the fall semester but will transition to an urban forest design, using evergreens and perennials in late fall.

The outdoor patio will be connected via the grand pathway to the plaza in the northeast corner of the building.

“The grand pathway provides ideal site accessibility flanked by diverse garden beds, turf areas for tailgating opportunities, landscape lighting, art placeholders and campus site amenities,” Ouellette said.

The northeast plaza will contain three benches and offer a view of Boone Pickens Stadium, an ideal destination for tailgating during football season, said Teresa Gustafson, OSU Foundation senior director of development and team lead for OSU Agriculture. When naming the plaza, she added donors would have first rights to the area during football season.

Additional naming opportunities are available on the east side of the building, including the outdoor patio, living plant wall and commemorative benches.

“A popular gift option for those wishing to have their special place on campus is an attractive, comfortable cast-iron bench — an amenity much appreciated by students, visitors and the entire university community,” Gustafson said. “Your personalized bench will preserve the legacy of a family member, treasured faculty mentor or friend while enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the campus and the surrounding community.”

Please contact Gustafson to participate in a naming opportunity before the building’s grand opening in the fall. To learn more about construction updates and donor stories, visit New Frontiers.

The New Frontiers campaign was launched in January 2020 to build a new state-of-the-art facility for OSU Agriculture. The New Frontiers Agricultural Hall, expected to open in fall 2024, further advances teaching, research and Extension efforts that are critical to the state’s economy, citizens’ safety and quality of life. By advancing OSU Agriculture and its programs, New Frontiers is fostering innovation to help feed the world.

Story By: Ainsley Treesh | ainsley.treesh@okstate.edu

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