"We were asked by the client to design the first major building of this branch campus," said Project Manager Mike McDonnell, AIA, of the Pittsburgh, PA-based architectural firm, which was commissioned by the Pennsylvania Department of General Services. "They had a desire for it to function as the 'Old Main.' Out of this tradition, we began the design of this facility. We were paying attention to the spirit of tradition, but wanted to add a contemporary feeling, while keeping those classical notions of Old Main."

While the traditional spirit is expressed with the combination of brick and Indiana limestone at the exterior coping and windowsill, slate flooring plays a more dramatic role in the design of the Academic Center's interior. According to the architect, it was decided at the outset that slate would be employed as the flooring material in the public spaces of the 52,000-square-foot building. "We solicited slate samples from a wide variety of suppliers -- looking at domestic and international slates," said McDonnell. "We made a basic decision about the color palette. Once we narrowed the range, we began to look at availability of sizes and thickness. We also needed a material that would fit into our construction timeline."