The HUB Expansion and Renovation project has been underway for more than six months now. The $44.6 million project has construction crews working full time to add 54,800 square feet and renovate 52,000 square feet to the HUB-Robeson Center by May 2015.

Here’s a quick rundown of the new additions:

• The area near the HUB parking deck will be enclosed in a “green room” atrium type structure (see below) with a new commons area.
• The HUB bookstore and food court will be completely remodeled.
• The LION 90.7 FM station will be moved (TBD what will take over that space).
• PNC bank and the ID+ Office will be moved downstairs (near where the bookstore is now)
• A THON store will be created.
• Walkways will be improved on the Eastside of the building.
• The vacated PNC and ID+ location will be taken over by an office for the new Center for Character, Conscience and Social Responsibility.
• Three large meeting rooms will be added upstairs.
• A new multipurpose flex theatre will be added on the first floor.
• The entrance near where the HUB bookstore is now will be remodeled.

I took a tour of the construction site during winter break, and although it doesn’t look like much yet, parts of the HUB, including the new bookstore space, are still on schedule to open for the 2014 Fall semester.

Here are a few shots what will soon become the Penn State Bookstore. The new store, operated by Barnes & Noble, is expected to increase from 28,000 to 35,000 square feet. The current bookstore is housed in 28 conjoined trailers on the HUB lawn.

The most impressive part of the site is undoubtedly the 265 feet long crane right in the middle of everything. The length extends all the way to the far edge of the courtyard, 135 feet up.

Sections of the East part of the HUB are also going under renovation to open up more seating areas and to make it compatible with the new atrium entrance.

You can’t tell yet, but the new entrance and patio are going to look great, with open seating and natural lighting.

Here are Penn State’s renderings for what this will all look like in the end.

As you can see, there’s a long way to go until May 2015. You can follow the progress on the HUB Expansion Twitter and Facebook.