UNIVERSITY PARK, PA -- Penn State's LEED Gold certified Stuckeman Family Building -- home to the Stuckeman School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture -- has been named one of the top 15 copper-clad buildings in the world by Architectural Digest magazine.

In September of this year, the 111,000-square-foot building, named for donors H. Campbell "Cal" Stuckeman, 1937 Penn State graduate in architecture, and his wife, Eleanor, will celebrate a decade of use. The building's open floor plan and integrated studio spaces reflect the school's collaborative, multidisciplinary undergraduate and graduate design programs. Additionally, the building houses the Penn State Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library.

"It is interesting how often many of us still refer to the Stuckeman Family Building as our 'new' home," said Stuckeman School director Kelleann Foster. "One of the design goals for the building was that it would be beloved and timeless -- at the 10-year mark we confidently can state this was achieved with great success."

As one of the first LEED Gold rated buildings on any U.S. university campus, the Stuckeman Family Building was envisioned and implemented as a model of sustainability in design and fabrication. The 30 tons of copper cladding, covering 49,000 square feet of the structure, is 95 percent recycled content from Revere Company in Rome, New York. The steel for the building is composed of 94 percent recycled products from Ohio Steel Company. All of the plywood sheeting, as well as wooden handrails, floors, and doors are made of sustainably harvested Forest Stewardship Certified Lumber. In all, some 87 percent of the materials used in this building were sourced within a 500-mile radius around State College, and 79 percent of the construction waste was recycled.

Interior sustainable features include lighting controls with automatic daylight and occupancy sensors and an HVAC system that provides natural ventilation in appropriate weather conditions. The building also includes showers in restrooms, an amenity to enable users to conserve fuel by commuting via bike then shower before classes or work. Integrated landscape and parking design filters storm water run-off to minimize pollutants and manage flow off-site.

Much of the success of the Stuckeman Family Building can be attributed to the design project itself, which was a groundbreaking collaboration among architects, landscape architects, and end-users. Overland Partners Architects, WTW Architects, and LaQuatra Bonci Landscape Architects, worked closely with an advisory committee comprised of Penn State architecture and landscape architecture faculty, students, and other University representatives. The firms and advisory committee collaborated throughout the design process to craft thoughtful amenities and functional spaces.

Many aspects of the building remain unchanged from the initial design and construction. Other spaces have been converted to accommodate the Stuckeman School's growing digital fabrication facilities, such as 3D-printing and a robot arm. Similarly, a new graduate student hub accommodates the larger masters- and new doctorate-level cohorts.

Regarding the future of this iconic building, Foster commented, "it will be fun to see what the next 10 years bring!"

View the complete Architectural Digest article:http://www.architecturaldigest.com/architecture/2015-06/worlds-best-copper-buildings-slideshow