Add as a preferred source on Google

Penn State Unveils New Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Building

  • By Matt Jones
  • 12/07/21

Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pa., recently celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new academic building on its campus. University officials, students, faculty and staff gathered on Wednesday, Dec. 1, to commemorate the opening of the new Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Building.

The facility measures in at 105,000 square feet and cost about $98.5 million. In addition to instructional spaces and research labs, it also plays home to the administrative offices of the Department of Animal Science and the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences. According to a news release, the project took about two years to complete. The university partnered with architecture firm HOK and Turner Construction.

"Our institution was founded to use education and research to advance the agricultural industry," said Penn State President Eric Barron at the ceremony. “Today, Penn State is one of the most respected integrated academic and outreach units of its kind in American higher education, and the College of Ag Sciences is at the forefront of research and educational programs that are vital to our economy, health and national security.”

The facility contains amenities like a vivarium (a type of terrarium for small animals), a general-purpose classroom with capacity for 100 students, a seminar room with capacity for just under 50, and a variety of collaboration zones to encourage cross-departmental interaction.

Rick Roush, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, spoke of the new facility’s importance to the 3,000 undergraduates and 450 graduate students enrolled in the college. “Animal production is the largest sector of Pennsylvania agriculture,” said Roush. “More than 80,000 jobs—29% of agricultural employment—are directly involved in animal production and the crop production that supports it, providing more than $9 billion to the Pennsylvania economy—and growing. The departments of Animal Science and Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences are major contributors to success.”

The new facility replaces the former Henning Building, whose outdated design and failing infrastructure was proving detrimental to research and retaining faculty, according to a news release.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • California High School Starts Construction on STEAM, Music Buildings

    Tamalpais High School, part of the Tamalpais Union High School District, recently broke ground on two new major facilities for its campus in Mill Valley, Calif., according to a news release. The district is partnering with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) and Lathrop Construction Associates for the Science Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) and Music Buildings, both replacing their outdated counterparts.

  • How One School Reimagined Learning Spaces—and What Others Can Learn

    When Collegedale Academy, a PreK–8 school outside Chattanooga, Tenn., needed a new elementary building, we faced the choice that many school leaders eventually confront: repair an aging facility or reimagine what learning spaces could be. Our historic elementary school held decades of memories for families, including some who had once walked its halls as children themselves. But years of wear and the need for costly repairs made it clear that investing in the old building would only patch the problems rather than solve them.

  • Texas K–12 District to Build New Elementary, High Schools

    The High Island Independent School District on the Bolivar Peninsula in Southeast Texas recently announced that construction on a new elementary school and a new high school will begin in January 2026, according to local news. Funding will come from a $27.9-million bond passed in May 2025.

  • New eBook Shares Guidelines on Building CTE Centers

    Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum and resources provider iCEV recently announced the publication of a new eBook sharing guidance and insights on building new CTE facilities, according to a news release.

Digital Edition