SHIPPENSBURG, PA — Global integrated design firm Stantec was selected to provide architectural design services for the Franklin Science Center renovations at Shippensburg University. The aging science building is home to the school’s biology, chemistry, health sciences, physics, and psychology departments and supports more than 4,000 student visits each week.

Constructed in 1970, the Franklin Science Center was partially renovated in 2002 with improvements to HVAC and classroom finishes. The interior of this aging 125,000-square-foot building is dated and inconsistent with contemporary pedagogy.

By creating an environment of learning and community, the design will support the university’s existing STEM programming, while also having the flexibility to meet emerging STEM initiatives, to enable use of contemporary pedagogies within allotted resourcing levels.

The updated science center will span 125,000 square feet of technology-enabled classrooms, lecture halls, faculty offices, testing facilities, a planetarium, a roof top observatory, a vivarium, and a greenhouse. Teaching and research laboratories will also be included with “jump” spaces adjacent to the research labs, allowing instructors to provide oversight to students in multiple labs. Labs will offer transparency where possible to put science on display.

Demonstrating a commitment to sustainability, the new science building will incorporate energy efficient technologies, building-energy modeling, and daylighting. The project will follow LEED standards and be designed as a high-performance building to achieve a 10 percent reduction in energy consumption.

“Shippensburg University offers an array of science programs and needed an updated space to support those students and faculty. Our design will modernize this central building on campus and embrace exciting research and learning opportunities under one roof,” said Alex Wing, Principal for Stantec. “We value the engagement from the school and share their understanding of the difference a dynamic, state-of-the-art learning environment can make in a student’s education.”