Addition Planned for Penn State’s Nursing Sciences Building

Penn State is planning an addition to the home of its Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing.

The university intends to construct a one-level, 3,600-square-foot addition to the Nursing Sciences Building along East College Avenue.

Mark Saville, of project engineer Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, gave an overview of the preliminary land development plan to State College Planning Commission on Wednesday.

The 30-foot-high addition to the rear of the existing building, facing the HUB-Robeson Center, will include a large classroom that can be divided into multiple spaces.

The exterior of the existing building also will be modernized with new cladding, including brick masonry veneer and spandrel glass, as part of the project.

“The purpose behind that is about improving the energy performance of the building and the fenestrations for that building so that it’s there for the next 50 years as a more energy efficient building,” Saville said.

Four existing access points to the Nursing Sciences Building will remain, and sidewalks and a shared use path in the area will be maintained, Saville said. The site plan is also designed to preserve heritage trees.

According to a September 2022 request for qualifications, the total project budget is $28 million. SLAM Collaborative is the architect.

Construction, which Saville said will not impact College Avenue, is expected to begin in December and be completed in June 2025.

Built in 1979 as the Human Development East Building, the three-story facility was renamed the Nursing Sciences Building in 2015 and underwent renovations in 2017.