Penn State Trustees Approve $107.1M in Construction and Renovation Projects

Penn State’s Board of Trustees on Friday approved four construction and renovation projects, including three at the University Park campus, totaling $107,127,000.

The work includes a state-funded major addition to the Animal Diagnostic Lab, renovations to Henderson Building, additional grant funded work for a previously approved Applied Research Lab building and a manufacturing center at Penn State Behrend’s Knowledge Park.

Animal Diagnostic Lab Expansion, University Park

A 46,000-square-foot-addition to the lab on Pastureview Road that serves Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and the state Department of Agriculture “will meet the
growing demand for advanced, reliable and timely diagnostic services that support animal health and food safety,” according to information presented to the board.

The $65.32 million project is funded almost entirely from Pennsylvania’s Department of General Services, “above and beyond” the university’s regular allocation from the department for capital projects, Associate Vice President and Chief Facilities Officer Mark Miller told the board’s Finance and Investment Committee on Thursday.

The two-story addition will be nearly double the size of the current, 25,8000-square-foot lab constructed in 1956 and and expanded in 1999. It will add 16,000-square feet of lab space to the facility’s existing 10,000 square feet, including a necropsy laboratory and a Biosafety Level 2 lab.

“It plays an important role for the not only the the state itself, but also the university,” Miller said.

Wiley Lab, which Miller said is in need of significant renovations, and multiple trailers on the site will be removed. The project will eliminate $3.5 million in deferred maintenance.

Pastureview Road and Wiley Lane will also be realigned to accommodate the addition and allow easier access for larger vehicles, Miller said.

Penn State’s ADL is one of four in Pennsylvania.

Plans for the expansion were previously presented to College Township officials.

Construction is expected to begin in October and be completed in November 2028.

Henderson Building Renovations, University Park

A $16.6 million renovation to the College of Health and Human Development’s Henderson Building will update aging building systems, address accessibility issues and modernize classroom and student services spaces. The project is funded by borrowing, reserves and College of Health and Human Development dollars.

The project will include about $8 million of mechanical, engineering and plumbing work, along with fire suppression and code updates and replacement of an elevator Miller described as “the smallest one on campus.”

Henderson’s south entrance will be updated to improve accessibility and wayfinding.

“it’s just not ADA accessible,” Miller said. “It’s really tough for the students to find and to get in and out of. So this will be a huge improvement for the college itself in that space, being able to move in and out of there.”

Classrooms, gathering spaces, lobbies and corridors will be renovated with a “modern and fresh look, but we also are respectful to the heritage of the building itself,” Miller said.

The teaching kitchen laboratory will be moved to Chandlee Laboratory, where it will be updated and will allow for reconfiguration of space for student programs in Henderson.

The project will eliminate $4.5 million in deferred maintenance.

Construction is expected to begin in October. The teaching kitchens in Chandlee are scheduled for completion in March 2027, with the Henderson renovations to be completed in March 2028.

ARL Building Additional Work, University Park

A $6 million grant will allow for the build-out of previously designated shell space in a new Applied Research Lab building at Innovation Park that is currently under construction.

Trustees approved original plans for the new building in 2024 with a budget of $91.1 million. At the time, it included 14,000-square feet of unfinished space to “provide capacity for research program growth,” according to information presented to the committee.

With the grant funding, the university will fit out 8,000 square feet of that space.

Miller said that rolling the fit out into building construction will save on future overhead and reduce security and clearance requirements compared to doing the work after the facility is completed and occupied.

Center for Manufacturing Competitiveness, Penn State Behrend

A new 31,000-square-foot building at Penn State Behrend’s Knowledge Park in Erie will include specialty research labs, tenant space and common space. The $19.1 million facility is supported by state, Erie County, university and philanthropic funding.

The center will “function as an intrapreneurial sandbox and catalyst for Erie County’s economic, innovation and social development,” according to the university.

The project will create 7,200 square feet of metal casting research labs, including high-bay facilities that are “always at a premium,” Miller said, for manufacturers and researchers to prototype and test emerging technologies. It also will offer hands-on research experience for students and will have 3,200 square feet of rentable tenant space, common areas and circulation space.

Knowledge Park is currently 97% occupied and since 2012 has had an occupancy rate over 90%, Miller said.

“So the project has strong regional support, and is aimed to drive economic development in northwestern Pennsylvania,” he said. “It serves as a hub for Erie’s counties’ economic and innovation growth.”

Construction is expected to start this month and be completed in November 2027.