Master Facilities Plan
In March 2018, Penn State engaged Payette to develop a Master Plan for the College of Engineering (COE). The main goal of this effort was to define an actionable strategy, spanning two 5-year funding cycles (2018-2023 and 2023-2028), to provide a framework for capital projects to support the College of Engineering’s strategic plan. The anticipated capital investment by the University is intended to increase the quantity and improve the quality of the COE’s physical space and optimize the distribution and organization of its departments and programs, to support the realization of the college’s academic vision as articulated in the Unit Strategic Plan.
Table of Contents
Master Plan—Strategy and Vision
The University identified two campus sites as major opportunities for development:
- Site 1: West Campus: considering the entire precinct and including the development of available building sites currently used as surface parking lots;
- Site 2: Core Campus: also known as the Core Engineering Sub-Campus, focusing primarily on the existing sites of Hammond, Sackett and the Engineering Units, adjacent buildings and open spaces.
The scope of the Master Plan focused on two major strands, which were to be carried out in parallel and in close coordination with each other:
- Programmatic analysis of the COE’s current and future states, and projection of programmatic strategies and associated space needs for the College of Engineering for the next 10 years.
- Actionable physical plan for the near-term and long-term development of the West Campus and the transformation of the Core Campus through identification of opportunities for new buildings, renovation of existing buildings, campus infrastructure and systems, and the improvement and creation of major campus spaces.
The goals of the Master Plan are:
- Outline current and future space needs for the COE.
- Realize West Campus’s potential to be a vibrant part of the Penn State campus fabric.
- Transform the COE’s Core Campus while respecting its historic location near Pattee Mall and Old Main and addressing the campus edge along College Avenue.
- Determine the highest and best use of existing facilities and opportunities for redeveloping existing sites with the underlying goal of reducing the cost of maintenance and repair work needed to maintain the University’s aging building inventory.
- Develop a plan that supports the COE departments and interdisciplinary thematic research.
- Strengthen the physical connectivity between COE’s two principal precincts.
