Page 15 - Engineering Penn State Magazine: Fall/Winter 2020

Features
The West Campus expansion will not only provide space and tools for the Penn State engineering community, but for the entire University, according to Schwartz. Rendering of West 2 shown on the left.
An engineering hub on West Campus
The two new engineering buildings currently in design— West 1 and West 2—will house flexible classrooms, multi-use design studios, maker spaces, high-bay research labs, faculty offices, and research cores to benefit multiple engineering academic departments.
West 1, the larger of the two buildings at 279,000 gross
square feet, also will house
a knowledge commons with collaborative student workspaces, departmental administrative
and faculty offices, and research laboratories, as well as food service and pedestrian connections, positioning the building as a welcoming and active University hub.
Both buildings will become
part of a re-imagined West Quadrangle, defined by Leonhard Building to the south, Applied Science Building to the east, and Earth and Engineering Science Building to the north.
Beyond 2023
After the planned conclusion
of phase one, the master plan recommends a second five-year phase that includes construction on the footprint of the demolished Hammond Building and Engineering Units, further renovations to Sackett Building, and the addition of a third building to West Campus.
This second phase, which will require Trustees approval before moving forward, has a projected cost of $479 million and would likely also be funded by Penn State, the Commonwealth, and philanthropy.
“These initiatives clearly represent a significant investment in engineering by Penn State,” Schwartz said. “We will be optimally positioned as a leader in engineering education and research, with the resources and facilities to help our students and faculty collaborate and innovate as they address society’s largest challenges.” n
“West Campus will really become the hub of technology and innovation. I predict that with West Campus being built up,
we will see a shift toward recognizing how significant the engineering program
is here at Penn State. West Campus will become a place where students go to hang out, invite their colleagues from other departments, and work on broader projects that interact together.”
– Amy Pritchett
department head, aerospace engineering
FALL/WINTER 2020 15