Within the University Park campus, the board approved moving forward with a new classroom building, and renovating and adding to the Sackett Building, as well as a new building for the Applied Research Laboratory at Innovation Park.
Here's a closer look:
NEW CLASSROOM BUILDING ($96M)
The new $96 million, three-story classroom building at University Park will be located near the intersection of Park Avenue and Bigler Road, adjacent to the Forest Resources Building, and is expected to break ground later this month. It is anticipated to be completed in time for the fall 2026 semester, the university wrote in a release.
The 90,000-square-foot building will have large lecture halls, general purpose classrooms with seminar-style and flexible seating, and will be available to any academic college. Additionally, the building will have seating for students in between classes, study areas and building support spaces, the release states.
"With the expected incremental growth in University Park's student enrollment, expanding our instructional spaces is crucial to maintaining the high standard of education we provide at Penn State," Langkilde said.
RENOVATIONS, ADDITIONS AT SACKETT ($89.9M)
Also at University Park, $89.9 million in renovations and additions at the Sackett Building were approved. Work will include remodeling the interior, two new wings that will be "historically appropriate in scale and aesthetics to the original building design" and an accessible pedestrian route as part of some exterior site work, according to a release from the university. Work is expected to begin later this month and be completed for fall 2027.
Sackett will have 12 general purpose classrooms with between 40 and 120 seats and a knowledge commons, once renovations are completed. It will also have several administrative offices for the College of Engineering.
In the release, Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of Engineering Tonya L. Peeples said the Sackett building has a "long and important legacy" for the College of Engineering.
"These renovations will return the exterior of the building to its original beauty while completely modernizing and expanding the interior spaces to provide premier classrooms and work areas for students, faculty and staff. It will be a worthy front door for engineering at Penn State," Peeples said.
NEW ARL BUILDING ($91.1M)
Planned for Penn State's business and research park, Innovation Park, the board also approved a new 80,000-square-foot, four-story Applied Research Laboratory building in the amount of $91.1 million. Work is expected to begin in December and be completed by September 2026.
In a release, the university said the facility will "drive ARL's interdisciplinary research, promote recruitment and retention of talent, and support a facility renewal plan for aging infrastructure." The building will have space for research, offices, conference rooms, computing and building support.
The project will be funded by ARL entirely. The ARL is the largest research unit at Penn State and is a self-supported unit, the release states.
OTHER PROJECTS
Penn State has been busy with projects this fall. At its September meeting, the board approved a 13,000-square-foot addition and renovation at the Lidia Manson Building at CATO Park to expand the Steady Thermal Aero Research Turbine (START) Lab. The project costs $23.6 million and is jointly funded by a number of entities. The university broke ground on the project on Friday.
During last week's meetings, the board also approved a ground lease agreement to build a 1,500-bed housing project at University Park.
Outside of the University Park campus, the board approved a $47 million Academic Learning Center at Penn State Harrisburg. The facility will have four 60-seat classrooms, four 80-seat classrooms and four 120-seat classrooms, along with study and common area spaces, according to a release.
©2024 the Centre Daily Times (State College, Pa.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
