Willard Building Renovation

This contract awards design‑only services for the Willard Building Renovation at Penn State University. The university selected Studios Architecture to provide full architectural design, including programming, schematic design, design development, construction documents, bidding assistance, and construction administration for a project budget of roughly $35 million, with a design completion deadline of September 2018. The selection followed a competitive, qualifications‑based process that began with a Letter of Intent (May 2017), proceeded through a public RFP (July 2017), and concluded with a shortlist interview (September 7 2017) before the Board of Trustees confirmed the award on September 15 2017. • Scope: Renovate ground‑floor and part of first‑floor spaces to create a state‑of‑the‑art broadcast studio, upgrade HVAC systems, and address ADA and historic‑preservation requirements. • Budget Context: Total project budget $35 M; design services are a portion of that, with design fees typically 10‑15 % of total construction cost. • Timeline: Award 15 Sept 2017 → design start shortly thereafter → design completed by Sept 2018; construction to begin Dec 2018. • Procurement Process: Open competition, qualifications‑based selection, long‑list of 10 firms, short‑list of 3, interview, then award. • Agency Contact: University Architect’s Office (Greg Kufner, Monica Reed) handling all submissions and communications.