Harrisburg University’s new, $2 million Student Union center, located on the arcade level of the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, will be ready to open for the fall 2019 semester.
Construction of the student union center, currently underway, marks the second collaborative project between the Whitaker Center and the University. The first project was completed last year, when HU transformed the Whitaker Center’s Stage II area into a state-of-the-art practice facility for its eSports team, the Harrisburg University Storm.
The 7,950-square-foot Student Union center will feature dedicated collaborative learning and small group areas, private study and conference rooms, student club meeting space, an aquaponics lab outfitted with a video monitoring system available for guests, fitness and gaming areas, and a self-service kitchen.
A portion of the Whitaker Center’s interconnecting stairwell has been altered to separate the science center from the Student Union, which will boast a mezzanine for fitness and aerobic classes, and private study and gaming areas.
The student union, designed by Harrisburg-based Murray Associates Architects, also will feature a wellness center. And it will contain a custom-designed amphitheater, outfitted with a multi-media, 3×3 seamless video wall display, which can be used as a collaborative student/faculty work area, lecture and presentation space, distance learning lab, community event space, and for other student team building events.
