As a result of significant and ongoing growth at its Abington Campus, The Pennsylvania State University felt that their existing academic and student life facilities could not keep pace with their anticipated future growth and sought to understand their options for building much-needed new space.

VMA performed four studies which would develop programs and conceptual designs for all of the major spaces on campus to comprehensively address the needs for learning, athletics, and student life.

The Academic study centered on the design of a new Academic Building, allowing various departments to be better grouped and supported while creating spaces for a new gallery and Innovation Lab. A pair of studies then focused on student life, which determined to construct a new Student Union and repurpose the existing one. The new building would provide a variety of performance and event spaces, a larger dining hall, and the ability to consolidate student support services from a variety of scattered locations. The renovated center would house the student social, club, and recreation spaces. The fourth study reconfigured the outdated athletic building to provide the facilities, locker rooms, and meeting spaces to better support today’s student athlete. Altogether, the size, scale, and materiality of both new buildings were carefully considered in terms of the campus context and surrounding neighborhood.