COM Innovation Pavilion for Research & Learning

The Pennsylvania State University awarded the design‑build services for the Innovation Pavilion for Research & Learning to HDR. The pavilion will be a roughly 292,000‑gross‑square‑foot facility on the Hershey campus, housing wet research labs, dry computational labs, vivarium, large‑format classrooms, a clinical simulation center, and other academic‑medical spaces. The contract calls for full architectural and engineering design, coordination with a future construction manager, BIM implementation, and achievement of at least a USGBC LEED Certified rating. The award follows a qualifications‑based selection process that began with a Letter of Interest (May 2017), progressed through a long‑list and short‑list, and concluded with a Board of Trustees decision in September 2017. • Scope: Conceptual, schematic, design‑development, construction‑documents, and construction‑administration services for a multi‑disciplinary research and education building. • Project size: ~292 k GSF (≈196 k ASF) with a total construction budget of $250–$350 M; professional‑service fees are expected to be a small percentage of that total. • Requirements: BIM execution, LEED Certified target, coordination with a construction manager, compliance with university procurement policies, and delivery of design within a tight schedule (design start Oct 2017, design complete Dec 2018).