After a yearlong delay due to the pandemic, Penn State is moving forward with its more than $100 million project to build a hub to house many of its social-science departments and institutes, formally referred to as the Liberal Arts Research and Teaching Building.

Construction on the 142,000-square-foot building is tentatively scheduled to start this summer, with the LART set to open in fall 2024.

The updated timeline was announced publicly last week when the university presented its final land development plan for the site between Park Avenue and Fischer Road, between Mateer and Ford building, to a pair of relevant State College Borough boards.

The project still requires final approval from the university’s board of trustees, which is expected to occur during July’s meeting.

“This new space will create dynamic learning opportunities for our students, spur even more innovative research encompassing an array of disciplines among our faculty, and strengthen the college’s reputation as one of the premier liberal arts institutions in the country,” Clarence Lang, Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts, said in 2019 when the project was first announced.

“Most Penn State students regardless of their major take nearly one-third of their classes in the liberal arts, so it’s safe to say that nearly every Penn State student will benefit in some way from the construction of this new building.”

The brick-and-limestone LART will house the departments of anthropology, sociology and criminology, and political science; the schools of public policy and international affairs; the Population Research Institute; the McCourtney Institute for Democracy; and the Criminal Justice Research Center. As a result, Oswald Tower - which now houses many of those units - will be demolished after the LART opens, with its current small site likely turned into a green area.

The new building with lab, classroom and office space was first publicly announced in spring 2019, with construction expected to start in summer 2021 and end in fall 2023. But, because of the pandemic, that was delayed for a full year.

Additions to the building include restroom entries with no doors, touchless restroom fixtures, automatic doors at the main entrances and a ventilation system that will provide “100% outdoor air in the labs and museum spaces.” The roof will also be designed to accommodate future solar considerations.

According to the university, there are no anticipated construction-related impacts to roads or walkways outside of the effects stemming from a sanitary connection at Park Avenue - which is “not anticipated to have a significant impact.”

In 2019, the estimated cost of the LART was $113 million with a majority of funding coming from the commonwealth. When asked whether those estimates still held true, a Penn State spokesperson said they had “no updates,” adding that funding changes will be discussed during a future board meeting.