School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture celebrates new building groundbreaking

Editor's Note:The following letter was sent via e-mail to alumni and friends of the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture on Monday, April 7, 2003.

Dear Architecture and Landscape Architecture Alumni and Friends,

We recently celebrated the groundbreaking for the new building for the School of Architectureand Landscape Architecture. More than 100 alumni and supporters turned out on Saturday morning, March 29, for the toss of the first dirt at the building site, located between the Palmer Museum of Art and Beam Building. Penn State President Graham Spanier, Board of Trustees Chair Ed Hintz and Dick Durst, dean of the College of Arts and Architecture, all donned hard hats and wielded gold shovels to mark this momentous occasion—an occasion that will ultimately benefit the many faculty, staff and current and future students who will occupy this important structure. Streaming video of the groundbreaking ceremony is available on the college's Web site. Quicktime 6.0 is required for viewing the video, to download a copy, please click here.*

After years of planning, we're excited to get this building project underway, which is scheduled for completion in fall 2004. SALA faculty and students have collaborated with the architects in the design of the facility, the first new Penn State building designed to meet the national criteria for certification as environmentally friendly, "sustainable architecture" adhering to the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™.

The five-level building, which will replace and double SALA's current location in the Engineering Units, will feature well-equipped classrooms, state-of-the-art design studios, a mezzanine, a gallery, a model construction shop, the Stuckeman Center for Design Computing and the Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library. For more details on the facility, please link to the college's press release announcing the groundbreaking event.

This new "green" building will provide the space and resources for architecture and landscape architecture students to receive top-notch professional training in an environment that encourages collaboration—one of the hallmarks of both professions. We are still seeking funds to cover the $23.5 million cost of this exciting project. For more information on making a donation to the SALA Building, please contact me via e-mail at rym4@psu.edu or phone 814-863-2142. Thanks to all for your support, and be sure to check the College of Arts and Architecture Web site at http://www.artsandarchitecture.psu.edu for building updates.

Best Regards,

Robert L. Mothersbaugh, CFRE
Director of Development

* If the streaming video will not play after downloading and installing Quicktme 6.0, please open the Quicktime Player application, go to the file menu, select "Open URL in New Player," and paste the address—rtsp://qtss.arts.psu.edu/SALA/SALA.mov—in the resulting box.