| Westgate Building | |
|---|---|
 North side view of the Westgate building | |
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| |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Location | University Park, Pennsylvania |
| Current tenants | Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology |
| Opened | 2004 |
| Cost | $58.8 million |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 199,000 square feet (18,500 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | Rafael Viñoly Architects, New York City, and Perfido Weiskopf Architects, Pittsburgh |
| Main contractor | Turner Construction Company |
The Westgate Building, formerly known as Information Sciences and Technology Building (commonly known as the IST Building) is a classroom building at Pennsylvania State University. Construction was completed in January 2004.
History and architectural features
This building was designed by the acclaimed architect Rafael Vinoly. According to the Penn State IST website, the design of the building "began as an inkpen sketch on a paper dinner napkin." He characterizes the building as "a labor of love . . . my own personal obsession for years", stating that, in the beginning, it seemed "crazy and extreme" to construct an S-shaped building over North Atherton Street. According to the Penn State IST Website, "His firm, Rafael Vinoly Architects, New York, partnered with Perfido Weiskopf Architects, Pittsburgh, for the design inspired by the Ponte Vecchio in Florence." Despite its name, this building currently is the home of both the Pennsylvania State University Computer Science department, in addition to the IST department.
In order to "better represent the building’s many uses", the building was renamed the Westgate Building. [1]
References
- Penn State Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department
- Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology
- Notes