Pennsylvania State University Constructs Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building

Pennsylvania State University is constructing the $128 million Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building on the University Park campus. Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the 143,000-sf facility will collocate the departments of anthropology, political science, and sociology and criminology, as well as housing the School of Public Policy, the School of International Affairs, and the Population Research Institute. The first floor will feature undergraduate instructional spaces, collaboration venues, and areas for group and individual study. Research and office environments are strategically sited on the upper levels, supported by conference and event rooms that will be shared by all departments. The building will also include wet and dry research labs, a human subject sampling lab, several general-purpose classrooms, and the Matson Museum of Anthropology.

Featuring a robust ventilation system that supplies 100 percent outside air to the classrooms, labs, and the museum, the high-performance structure will leverage automatic doors and non-contact toilet entrances and plumbing fixtures to optimize occupant health in the post-pandemic era. With a roof designed to accommodate solar panels in the future, the LEED-certified facility will take advantage of the university’s new water reuse system, enabling the capture of stormwater runoff in an underground retention center. Ground was broken in August of 2022 and occupancy is expected in fall of 2024.