Bee Cave, Texas-based student housing provider American Campus Communities and the Purdue Research Foundation have completed their public-private partnership on 3rd and West, a 401-unit, 984-bed student housing property on the Purdue University campus in West Lafayette, Indiana.
The 325,000-square-foot development is located in the university’s Discovery Park District, and offers studios and one-, two- and four-bedroom apartment configurations. Designed by Chicago-based architect SCB and built by Willoughby, Ohio-based Marous Brothers Construction, the contemporary-style building features bold, geometric patterns, an entry plaza with space for community gatherings, dual courtyards and glass-walled study lounges facing the streetscape.
“In designing 3rd and West, we saw the opportunity to use architecture to create and shape a unique outdoor community space,” said Monica Willemsen, associate principal at SCB, in the news release. “By anchoring the community’s main amenity spaces in the center, we created two distinct courtyards that offer students a place to unwind, connect and recharge. It’s these kinds of surprising, in-between places that help build character and a real sense of place in emerging districts like Discovery Park.”
In addition to the glass study lounges, amenities include in-unit laundry, a 24-hour fitness center, indoor and outdoor community kitchens, social lounges and private study rooms.
Purdue University, which enrolls approximately 58,000 students at its West Lafayette and Indianapolis campuses, is currently implementing a strategic initiative to expand affordable on-campus housing, according to the release. Another new residence hall is underway on the northeast side of campus, developed by Purdue and built by Indianapolis-based F.A. Wilhelm Construction Co., which is expected to add 900 new beds to the university’s housing stock in 2026.
American Campus Communities, now owned by Blackstone Real Estate Group, has facilitated more than 115 public-private partnerships at 65 colleges and universities. The 3rd and West public-private partnership was approved by Purdue’s trustees in spring 2023, and Purdue executed a lease agreement for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years that December.
The property held its grand opening on Aug. 6, and the majority of its residents will begin moving in at the start of the fall 2025 semester.
