Villanova plans addition to Center for Engineering and Research
RADNOR » After a brief meeting on Dec. 11, the Radnor Planning Commission unanimously supported a zoning application filed by Villanova University for an addition to its Center for Engineering and Research.
The original 51-foot tall building was constructed after VU received zoning approval in 1995 for a variance to exceed the 38-foot height limit in the township, said lawyer Nicholas Caniglia. The new 150,000-grosssquare-foot
addition will be the same height as the current 92,000-gross-squarefoot building.
The new addition off Spring Mill Avenue will be four stories tall.
The façade will be “consistent” with other stone buildings on campus, said Caniglia.
Classrooms with higher ceilings are needed because much of the time engineering students work in labs, Caniglia said. Right now engineering classes are scattered around campus. The new addition will permit all the classes to be consolidated in a single building. A lot of engineering classes are now interdisciplinary, he said.
Other buildings on campus also exceed the township height limit, Caniglia said.
“Is the old building going to be rehabbed substantially or (have) a different finish on it?” asked John Lord, PC chairman.
Robert Morro, vice president for facilities management for VU, said it will be “partially reconfigured and some functions will move to the new building.”
The Zoning Hearing Board is expected to take up the VU appeal on Dec. 19.