DuBois, Pa. — Penn State's Board of Trustees Friday (July 9) approved final plans for the Biobehavioral Health Building, which will be located south of Henderson Building between Old Main Lawn and HUB Lawn at University Park.
"This new building will address significant space deficiencies within the College of Health and Human Development, and also will contribute to consolidating the college in one central location," said Al Horvath, senior vice president for finance and business/treasurer.
Biobehavioral health will be the primary academic unit in the 93,500-square-foot building. Other units sharing the facility will include the Center for Aging, Center for Human Development and Family Research in Diverse Contexts, Prevention Research Center and Information Systems and Services.
Horvath said the 52-year-old, 12,000-square-foot bridge joining Henderson and South Henderson is no longer useful and will be demolished, maximizing the capacity of the site within the core campus.
A new plaza adjacent to the HUB Lawn will provide a new venue for college events and major performances for the entire campus, and improvements to the HUB Lawn also are included in the project.
Main entrances will be accessible from Henderson Mall, the HUB Lawn and from the south. Biobehavioral health will occupy most of the first floor and the entire second floor of the building, which was designed by the architectural firm of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. The first floor includes 19 offices, research spaces, two conference rooms, a graduate student work area and two 35-seat classrooms. The second floor also will include offices, research spaces and conference rooms, as well as the department's administrative area and a commons area.
The Prevention Research Center will occupy the third floor, with the Center for Aging and Center for Human Development and Family Research in Diverse Contexts on the fourth floor.
A lower level will include a 200-seat lecture hall along with offices and research spaces.
Continuing the University's emphasis on sustainable building, the facility will be LEED certified and will use green roofs. With an exterior of brick and limestone, the building has been developed to complement Henderson Building, built in 1933, as well as Henderson Mall.