Good news in Happy Valley is hard to come by these days, but Cannon Design of Baltimore, MD will soon be making a splash on campus. The architects were recently approved to design an addition to the McCoy Natatorium. The addition will also incorporate a new indoor tennis facility, replacing the existing indoor tennis center.

According to Dan Sieminski, associate vice president for Finance and Business, the current natatorium, built in 1967, is the oldest and smallest aquatic facility in the Big Ten, also citing the need for larger tennis facilities for both varsity and recreational use. For some perspective, here is a comparison between the existing McCoy Natatorium and Penn State Harrisburg’s Aquatic Center.

The new facility will not only be used to create more recreational space for students and faculty, it will provide the university with a venue to host events such as PIAA meets, which were previously held at Penn State until Bucknell completed its new aquatics facility in 2002.

Currently, McCoy Natatorium houses a 6 lane, 25-yd pool, a 6 lane shallow water 25 m pool, and a dive well. The new facility will include a 50-meter indoor pool, as well as another indoor diving well with 10-, 7- and 5- m diving platforms and 1- and 3- meter diving boards.

Cannon Design has a large catalog of experience in recreational facilities, especially those designed on college campuses. Their portfolio shows a wide variety of work and they seem to be a great choice to rejuvenate the aquatics and tennis programs at Penn State. The facility should be an excellent addition to campus and is sure to be enjoyed by students, faculty, and community members alike.