FALL 2005
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New Architecture and Landscape Architecture Building Serves as Model for Green Design
By Amy Milgrub Marshall
The Stuckeman Family Building for the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), the first new Penn State building designed to meet national criteria for certification as environmentally friendly, sustainable architecture, was dedicated on Sunday, September 18, in front of a standing room-only crowd in the building’s first-floor jury space. Speakers included Penn State President Graham Spanier, College of Arts and Architecture Dean Richard Durst, Board of Trustees Chair Cynthia Baldwin and H. Campbell “Cal” Stuckeman (’37 B.S. Arch.), who gave the lead gift for the building with his late wife, Eleanor.
SALA Dedication
“The Stuckeman Family Building is now a signature building on the Penn State campus, giving the College of Arts and Architecture a wonderful new focal point and a functional home for its top-notch programs in both architecture and landscape architecture,” said Spanier. “Penn State’s reputation in architecture and landscape architecture is stellar and this building will only enhance that standing.”
Stuckeman, a Pittsburgh native whose family includes many Penn State alumni (his father graduated in 1909), said he wanted to support the construction of the new building because of his history of involvement in the University. After initial talks in the mid-1990s did not elicit much enthusiasm, he and his wife decided to step forward and offer their financial support. “We believe our commitment to this project has helped to attract new faculty, as well as many new students,” said Stuckeman, retired president and chairman of The Precise Corporation, a manufacturer of machine tools and measuring devices. “Now SALA has its very own building designed specifically for [the architecture and landscape architecture] disciplines … We have the building we have all dreamed about. Now it is in the capable hands of Dean Dick Durst, Dan Willis and Brian Orland as department heads, their dedicated faculty and staff, and great students to achieve the goals of all those ‘dreamers.’”
SALA Dedication
In addition to donors to the building, attendees at the dedication included representatives from the architecture, landscape architecture and engineering firms and members of the construction team (see boxes for listing of donors and design and construction teams). In his dedication remarks, Durst said he was grateful the college had a role in the design process. “I have appreciated the opportunity for us to break out of the mold of the typical end-user and to be an integral part of the process of design and construction. It takes a special group of people to allow and encourage this interaction and collaboration, and we’ve had the cooperation of all involved.”
Richard DeYoung, senior principal and chief operating officer of WTW Architects, also appreciated the collaborative working relationship. “The design of the new SALA building has been one of those rare and exceptionally rewarding experiences, where the vision and mission of the client seamlessly aligned with that of the design team,” said DeYoung. “Every step of the way, the collaboration between the architects and landscape architects, as both designers and client, was evident. The result is a building that clearly expresses and enhances the mission of SALA, from collaborative training between the disciplines to enhancement of environmental stewardship.”
Rob Frenza
The Stuckeman Family Building, a 111,000 square-foot, $26.5 million facility, is expected to earn a Gold Rating from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System®. It would be the first building on any college campus to earn that distinction. The energy efficient design is projected to reduce the building’s annual energy costs by 35 percent compared to a conventionally designed structure.
The building’s exterior is made of recycled copper, brick and energy-conserving glazed windows with exterior sun-control louvers. Interior sustainable features include lighting controls with automatic daylight and occupancy sensors and windows that automatically open and close with changes in temperature and humidity, reducing the need for heating and cooling mechanically. Open plan design studios, which seat 560 students on two floors, encourage collaboration between the architecture and landscape architecture disciplines. The facility also houses a 4,000 square-foot model shop with outdoor construction yard, two computer classrooms, the Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library, the Stuckeman Center for Design Computing and the Hamer Center for Community Design Assistance.
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY FACTS
Stuckeman Family Building for the School of
Architecture and Landscape Architecture
- 87 percent of the materials used in this building were harvested within a 500-mile radius around State College
- 30 tons of copper were used in this building, covering 49,000 square feet. The copper is composed of 95 percent recycled content from Revere in Rome, New York—the same company that makes pots and pans.
- 79 percent of the construction waste was recycled, resulting in 605 tons of recycled materials.
- The steel is composed of 94 percent recycled steel products—mainly cars—from Ohio Steel Company.
- All the plywood sheeting and wooden handrails, floors and doors are made of Forest Stewardship Certified Lumber, which means the trees were harvested and then replacements were planted.
- The bluestone used in the building and surrounding walls/seating is native to Pennsylvania.
- The restrooms include showers—evidence of Penn State’s sensitivity to fuel conservation, because the presence of showers means building users can ride their bikes here and then shower before work/school.
- The windows in the studios automatically open and close with changes in temperature and humidity, reducing the need for heating and cooling mechanically.
- The studio desks raise and lower using a bike chain.
- The studios feature motion-sensor lights.
- The copper used in the building has a patina that changes color when exposed to the elements, resulting in a copper exterior that differs in color from the copper inside the building.
- The studios on the upper floors of the building’s east side afford a 180-degree view from Bald Eagle ridge to Mount Nittany.
Design Team
WTW Architects (Pittsburgh)
Overland Partners Architects (San Antonio)
LaQuatra Bonci, Associates – Landscape Architect
Whitney, Bailey, Cox & Magnani – Structural Engineer
H.F. Lenz – Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing Engineers
Arup Engineering - Engineering Concept
Murase Associates – Landscape Concept
Construction Team
Whiting-Turner • General ContractorStone Valley Construction, Inc.
Wertz Landscaping
Poole Anderson Construction
Harris Masonry, Inc.
Ohio Steel Erectors, Inc.
RH Marcon, Inc.
Nittany Building Specialties, Inc.
Wyatt Incorporated
Bryan Mechanical
Johnson Controls
PBCI-Allen Electric & Mechanical
State College Electric & Mechanical (Allied Electric)
