Penn State University plans $113 million Liberal Arts Research and Teaching Center

Penn State University will begin constructing a six-story Liberal Arts Research and Teaching (LART) Center this summer at its University Park campus.

The $113 million, 142,622-square-foot building will house three departments, three institutes and research centers and two schools, reports statecollege.com.

The sociology and criminology department, Population Research Institute and Criminal Justice Research Center will move to the LART Center from Oswald Tower.

The political science department, School of Public Policy and McCourtney Institute for Democracy will relocate from Pond Lab. The anthropology department will move from Carpenter Building, and the School of International Affairs will move from the Katz Building.

The facility will feature classrooms, research and instructional laboratories, museum space, faculty and graduate student offices, and administrative support areas.

The design will incorporate several health and safety measures spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic, including automatic doors, contact-free restroom entries, touchless restroom fixtures and a ventilation system that provides 100% outdoor air in the labs and museum spaces.

The building will be constructed with energy-efficient and environmental design elements. High-efficiency aluminum windows and curtain wall systems will make maximum use of natural light, and the roof is designed to accommodate a future solar array.

Once the LART Center is completed, the university plans to demolish Oswald Tower and will likely replace it with green space between Pond Lab and Burrowes Building. 

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson is the architect.