NIRSA Facility Feature: Alienware Purdue Gaming Lounge

NIRSA’s Outstanding Facilities Awards, sponsored by Mondo, recognize the innovative facilities that our institutional members are creating on their campuses to support their collegiate recreation programs. In 2025, one of the recipients of these prestigious awards was Purdue University for its Alienware Purdue Gaming Lounge. Created collaboratively with Alienware, the gaming brand of Dell Technologies, and designed by Synthesis Incorporated, with finishes completed by Pinnacle, this facility provides the benefits of campus recreation to the Purdue community in a novel and impactful way.

The Alienware Purdue Gaming Lounge (APGL) is located centrally in the France A. Córdova Recreational Sports Center (CoRec), which opened in 2013 with a goal of having a space that would be welcoming to all and allow modernization as the priorities of the campus community changed. As a need for a gaming lounge emerged, planning work began on a project that would renovate two underutilized racquetball courts and their associated spectator space into a state-of-the-art gaming facility.

The space chosen for the APGL also has the advantage of being centrally located in the CoRec, providing the space’s users with exposure to the many other recreation and wellness services that the university has available.

Designed to provide an inclusive space that both gamers and spectators could enjoy, the APGL includes:

• A lounge with 25 gaming stations, featuring Alienware Aurora R16 computers and Alienware M16 gaming laptops
• A console gaming room with PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch consoles
• A separate room for competitive gaming training
• An observation lounge with tiered seating and large display monitors
• A broadcast booth to increase cross discipline learning and engagement
• Adaptive lighting that can be customized for individual events
• Graphics and murals that can easily be updated as needs evolve

The space also boasts several sustainable features, including energy efficient lighting/ventilation, the use of salvaged wood, and eco-friendly finishing materials.

Little downtime, big impact

Thanks to extensive preparation and coordination, the final construction and installation phase took just eleven business days, a fast finish that built on nearly a year of planning and groundwork. While demolition was taking place, third-party Pinnacle was able to simultaneously create the finishes, assisted by precision laser scanning process which ensured exact dimensions and seamless integrations.

Since its opening, the impact of the Alienware Purdue Gaming Lounge has been significant. In its first two months, the space averaged 60 daily visits, hosted 1,000 unique users, and was home to six gaming clubs with 4,800+ participants and four varsity teams. The facility also offers reservations for groups including student organizations, and hosts game takeovers, product previews, and other events. In April 2025, the APGL hosted Alienware Collegiate Clash 2025, an in-person winner-takes-all competition.

“The Alienware Purdue Gaming Lounge has exceeded our expectations in its first year,” says Mike Warren, Senior Director of Recreation & Wellness at Purdue. “Recording nearly 10,000 participations shows both the reach and impact this space has already had on our students. We’re proud to see it fostering connection and wellbeing across campus, and we’re excited for the continued growth and engagement still to come,” adds Mike.

One Outstanding Facilities Award Committee member who reviewed the award submission shares, “The team at Purdue packed in a lot of amenities to create an extremely beneficial space for the student population. It repurposed a space that could only fit a handful of students during peak usage to something that can be enjoyed by many who traditionally may not be found in a campus rec center otherwise. The design, the tie into the Purdue story and brand, the sustainable features, and the overall vibe of the space is so inviting and well intentioned. If I were a student at Purdue, and gaming was my passion, I would feel so thankful that the team there created a space that meets their needs.”

Congratulations to everyone involved with the design and construction of the Alienware Purdue Gaming Lounge!

About the Outstanding Facilities Award

Applications for the 2025 Outstanding Facilities Awards, sponsored by Mondo, open in next month.