Penn State takes next step toward construction of $228M engineering building. Here’s what comes next
Penn State is inching closer to spending $228 million on the construction of West 1, a new engineering building that would become one of the largest academic facilities on the University Park campus.
The board of trustees’ Committee on Finance, Business and Capital Planning unanimously voted to recommend approving the move to the full board, which is expected to formally OK the plan Friday. West 1, also known as Engineering Research and Teaching Space 1, will be 290,000 square feet — or nearly 40% larger than Smeal’s Business Building.
Bill Sitzabee, Office of Physical Plant vice president and chief facilities officer, pointed out that the building was necessary because the number of engineering undergrads has increased 43% since 2008.
“Penn State engineering facilities have not kept pace with the growth and numbers,” Sitzabee said. “Our ability to recruit and retain the best faculty and researchers is significantly impacted by the quality of the facilities and drove the need for a comprehensive, College of Engineering Master Plan.”
West 1 is just one part of the nearly $1 billion master plan, the first phase of which seeks to “revitalize” the West Campus through constructing two new academic buildings, building a parking garage, renovating the Sackett Building, landscaping, etc. Construction is nearly finished on the parking deck and it’s already underway for West 2, which should be completed by fall of 2022.
An updated timeline for West 1 was not made available Thursday, although a spokesperson acknowledged the project’s start was delayed due to the pandemic. Last summer, construction was expected to start in May 2021 with a completion date of December 2023.
West 1 will contain multi-disciplinary research and teaching labs, general purpose classrooms, computer labs, office and administrative spaces, a small library, food service and dedicated student common areas. Many details of the plan were first publicly discussed in early 2018.
Because the university solicited bids early, Sitzabee said construction would not be impacted by the rising costs of raw materials like steel, which saw a 7.8% increase between March and April alone. The university should also be insulated against labor shortages and supply-chain issues since it’s already received hard bids.
“I think we actually hit the market at almost the near-perfect time for bidding this project,” Sitzabee added. “If we were to let this project slip a couple months in the bid process, we would have been up against a real challenge.”
West 1’s cost will be funded by $163 million in state funds (Department of General Services), about $30 million in borrowing, $12 million in what essentially amounts to cash reserves and an estimated $22 million in philanthropy/donations.
The full board of trustees will vote on approving the plans and authorizing the release of funds during the 1:30 p.m. meeting Friday.
This story was originally published May 6, 2021 at 4:23 PM.
