PSU New Kensington Student Union

Penn State New Kensington is a small commuter campus with big aspirations. As part of a greater vision for tech growth in the New Kensington area, DIGSAU was asked to design a Student Union renovation and addition that would co-locate disparate resources and re-energize student life. It would be the new, bustling heart of campus. 

Process

DIGSAU kicked off the project by holding a series of on-site work sessions with PSU stakeholders. We walked the campus, held small group discussions, and led concept explorations with laser-cut blocks. Everyone from the Campus Chef to the University Architect expressed their concerns and excitement for this long-awaited project. Our team evaluated the feedback, deployed a student survey, developed 3 concept options, and compiled a 100-page Concept Report in just over a month. 

The project was plagued by budget issues from the beginning of SD due to drastic market changes in the 2 years since a Feasibility Study and cost estimate were produced in 2020. DIGSAU worked closely with cost estimators to create a version of the desired addition + renovation at $6.8 million. After multiple attempts, however, it became apparent that new construction was not feasible here.

The Epiphany

Our team traveled to New Kensington to walk the campus again, armed with a laser measure in search of options for a renovation-only project. The group gathered in the Theater at the end of the day to discuss ideas, but none seemed exciting. To break the silence, the campus Facilities Supervisor joked that we ought to "blow up the Theater and put everything in here". Naturally, DIGSAU returned to Philadelphia and proceeded to explore that idea.

The campus has rarely used the Theater in recent years as it's an inflexible space with outdated technology. The structure happens to have enough clear height to stack two floors of student space within, so our team worked through demolition/renovation options, checked structural feasibility, and ran the concept by our cost estimators to bring it back to PSU. It was overwhelmingly well received. 

After two more rounds of VE with the Theater renovation concept, we had reduced the estimated construction cost by 37% from the initial cost estimate and were within an acceptable range of the budget. Discussions with our cost estimators, structural and mechanical engineers, and Facilities personnel gave us confidence on the project's potential. Stakeholders were visibly excited on Zoom. This saga has an unfortunate ending, however, as the project was unexpectedly paused by PSU leadership pending re-evaluation of University budgets.

My Role

As described above, my involvement on this project began early in Concept and lasted until the unexpected early end of Schematic Design. My role included:

• Travel to site for client work sessions and existing conditions analysis

• Guiding team members to create presentation graphics, renderings, and concept report

• Coordination with consultants and cost estimators

• Management of extensive design options and associated metrics

• BIM lead/guiding team members to build a Revit model of the existing campus