The $30 million Jack D. Burke Research and Economic Development Center (REDC) is the largest Penn State University building located outside of University Park. It houses both the Sam and Irene Black School of Business and the School of Engineering, making the campus one of the country’s first higher ed institutions to house its business and engineering schools under a single roof.

The REDC was designed from its inception to create an opportunity for collaboration and to encourage “...connection, collision, and interaction between students and faculty, between business and engineering, between academia and industry, between campus and community,” said Architect of Record Herman Weber of Weber Murphy Fox, Inc.

“This is a truly transformative facility that is almost 20 years in the making,” said Jack Burke, former chancellor of Penn State Erie. “The REDC’s impact on education, research and the local economy — by promoting a collaborative teaching and research environment — is just being realized.” 

Given the wide range of occupancies, Urban Engineers performed a full vibration analysis to improve vibration serviceability between adjacent spaces. This type of analysis is critical for a successful structure.

Highlights

• $1 million under budget 
• 160,000 SF, including 40,000 SF of classroom space and 40,000 SF of office space 
• 28 research and teaching labs 
• Largest plastics process lab in the United States 
• 200-seat lecture hall addition 
• 182-space parking garage, also designed by Urban