Plans For New Chemistry, Life Sciences Buildings Approved By Penn State’s Board Of Trustees
September 8, 2000
University Park, Pa. — Sketch/preliminary plans for a new chemistry building and a proposed life sciences building, both off Shortlidge Road at Penn State’s University Park campus, were approved today (Sept. 8) by Penn State’s Board of Trustees. The unique design includes a physical link between the two structures, at upper-floor levels, to facilitate collaborative research activities in the two buildings.

The chemistry building, primarily a research facility, will house state-of-the-art chemistry research laboratories, offices, a seminar room and support facilities. It will be built at the former site of the Paul Robeson Cultural Center, west of Shortlidge.

The life sciences building, oriented substantially to teaching, will house an array of classrooms in addition to research and office space — all geared toward fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. It will be located off Shortlidge, between the Joab Thomas Building and Eisenhower Auditorium.

Gary Schultz, Penn State’s senior vice president for finance and business, treasurer, told the board that chemistry and life sciences faculty and administrators recognized a unique opportunity while the programs for the two buildings were being separately considered — "an opportunity to foster even more interaction among the sciences by creating some kind of physical connection between the two facilities."

The architect for both buildings is BLT/Payette Joint Venture Architects, of Philadelphia and Boston. The opportunity to proceed with innovative and integrated design plans got a second boost, Schultz said, when the state Department of General Services (DGS) chose BLT/Payette to design the chemistry building, and the board subsequently chose the same firm to design the life sciences facility.

In addition to the glass-enclosed physical connection between the two buildings across Shortlidge Road — which is spacious enough to be used for informal gatherings -- the integrated plan for the two buildings creates a new, pedestrian-oriented area. This is important, Schultz said, because this section of Shortlidge is a major pedestrian route. When the University’s master plan was being developed, consultants Johnson Johnson and Roy of Ann Arbor, Mich., counted 23,000 pedestrian crossings in a single day.

The plan also preserves two of the three historic cottages on the site of the chemistry building, Schultz said. "This was a serious concern to us — obviously we wanted to preserve this piece of our heritage," Schultz said.

According to the design, the configuration of the two L-shaped buildings defines four new common spaces for the campus:

• a life sciences courtyard, expected to be a lively space filled with students;
• Shortlidge Mall, a "pedestrian-first" space to the south that will still allow some vehicular movement;
• an Eisenhower Auditorium space to the north; and
• a chemistry building courtyard that allows the preservation of Spruce and Pine cottages.

The facades of both buildings along Shortlidge will be predominantly brick, designed to harmonize with the Thomas Building in materials, colors, and massing. The chemistry building will have a predominantly glass façade to the south, to take advantage of natural light.

The total cost of the two buildings is about $95.5 million -- $52.5 million for the chemistry building and $43 million for the life sciences building. Construction for both projects is expected to start in summer 2001.

In other business, the board:

• Named architects Hoffman Popovich of Boalsburg to design a four-bay hangar at the University Park Airport. The hangar will be similar in design to a recently completed general aviation hangar, which Hoffman Popovich also designed.
• Approved selling a 3.04-acre property at Penn State Erie to the state transportation department, to facilitate construction of a controlled-access highway through the campus. The project is intended to improve traffic flow on the east side of Erie County, provide safer and more direct access between the City of Erie and Interstate 90, and enhance the main entrance of the campus.
• Named Perkins Eastman Architects PC, of Pittsburgh, to design a new administration building at Penn State Beaver.
• Approved purchasing property, including a residential home and an outbuilding, adjacent to the Penn State York campus. The property is a little over a third of an acre.
• Named the Aqua Penn Building in CATO Park, Ferguson Twp., the CATO Park Library Depository. The name change reflects the current use of the building.

The board was informed during the meeting about new names for rooms, portions of buildings and plazas at the University Park campus. The library at the Hintz Family Alumni Center, will be named the Penny A. Garban Library in honor of a gift from the Garban family.

Room 101 in the Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building will be named the Stuart Patton Auditorium in honor of Stuart Patton, Evan Pugh Professor emeritus of agriculture, who has made enormous contributions to the University’s education and research activities. An arts and humanities reading room in west central Pattee Library will be named the Jean D. Kerr Reading Room in honor of a gift from Tom and Jean Kerr. The student recreation center in the White Building will be named the MBNA Student Recreation Center in honor of a gift from MBNA America Bank, N.A.

Contact: Alan Janesch (814) 865-865-7517 or e-mail at