What projects are under construction at Penn State? See updates, timelines
Penn State students arriving on campus this week may notice a few major construction projects throughout University Park that are either wrapping up or will continue to be a work in progress.
One of the biggest construction projects is the Beaver Stadium renovation. The first phase of the the multi-year, $700 million project began in the offseason. The upper bowl and press box on the west side of the stadium were removed during the offseason, and temporary bleacher seating was just installed. The entire project is expected to be finished in time for the 2027 football season.
Another large athletics project that is expected to be completed during the fall semester is at the Jeffrey Field Soccer Complex. The new soccer operations center includes team locker rooms, training facilities, coaches offices, concessions and more, a spokesperson from the Penn State Office of Physical Plant said. Although it will be completed this fall, a spokesperson said it is not anticipated to impact to the men’s and women’s soccer seasons this year.
Perhaps one of the most noticeable campus projects aside from the stadium is the construction at the Sackett Building. The Penn State trustees approved renovations and additions to the building last fall, and it is part of the College of Engineering Master Plan. The building, which borders the southwest edge of Pattee Mall, will undergo a full rehabilitation of the exterior and a full interior renovation. It will also have aging building systems and infrastructure replaced.
The $89.9 million project will reinstate the historic status of the 1928-30 Sackett Building, a spokesperson said, as a “prominent building facade on the Pattee Mall.” It will also significantly reduce the maintenance backlog and have general purpose classrooms. It is expected to be complete by summer 2027, followed by the planned demolition of the Hammond Building.
Other classroom changes
As students are walking to class on Monday, they might notice the Oswald Tower is missing. It was demolished, and the site has been turned into a green space. Faculty and staff who were based in Oswald Tower were moved to the new Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building, which opened at the start of the year. Oswald Tower had nearly $15 million in maintenance backlog, a spokesperson said.
Nearby, Osmond Lab is under construction and is expected to be done by December 2026. The $115 million project includes a new 48,000-square-foot physics building with a high-bay research area and other specialized lab spaces. Renovations to existing lecture halls will also be conducted.
Near East College Avenue, the Nursing Sciences Building was renovated and a new 2,700-square-foot expansion was added for a simulation-ready classroom for up to 180 students. A large majority of the work is complete, a spokesperson said, and the building will be fully occupied this semester.
A new classroom building adjacent to East Halls at the intersection of Park Avenue and Bigler Road is also still a work in progress. It’s expected to be ready prior to the fall 2026 semester. The 90,000-square-foot classroom building will have large lecture halls and general purpose classrooms to expand instructional space on campus.
Residence halls
Pollock Halls have two residence buildings that are being fully renovated at the moment: Ritner and Wolf. The $92.1 million project will give dorms new study spaces, social lounges, bathrooms and room improvements — including air conditioning. The dorms should be complete and ready for students by the fall 2026 semester, a spokesperson said.
The renovation is part of the university’s East and Pollock halls renewal program, which spans four capital plans with construction starting in 2016 and ending in 2030. The board initially approved the project in 2014 but it has been adjusted to both speed up the work and also to pause it during the COVID-19 pandemic. The full renovation of East Halls was completed last August.
Future phases of the project will include renovating the remaining halls and will be brought before the board of trustees as the designs are finalized.
Smaller projects
A few other projects that might be seen around campus this fall include a slate roof replacement at Thompson Hall, window replacements at Kern Building and facade repairs at McAllister Building.
This story was originally published August 24, 2025 at 6:15 AM.
