Penn State Hires Populous for Beaver Stadium Renovation Plan

Populous, already familiar with Beaver Stadium, will lead the $700 million redesign project.

Penn State hired a familiar partner to design the $700 million renovation of Beaver Stadium. Populous, which oversaw the 2001  Beaver Stadium expansion and the recent Lasch Football Building renovations, will serve as the architectural firm for the multi-year project that will begin after the 2024 season.

Populous, headquartered in Kansas City, has designed more than 1,300 sports stadiums worldwide, including the new Buffalo Bills venue that broke ground in June. Populous also led the $485 million redevelopment of Texas A&M's Kyle Field. At Penn State, Populous spearheaded the 2001 Beaver Stadium expansion to its current capacity of 106,572, the Lasch Football Building renovations that began in 2015 and the university's 2017 Athletics Master Plan that called for a sports district on campus.

Scott Radecic, senior principal and founder of Populous, played football for Penn State and is a former Nittany Lions captain.

“Populous is proud to partner with Penn State on a transformational renovation to Beaver Stadium, reimagining and innovating the fan experience of one of the most iconic venues in college football,” Radecis said in a statement. "Our team will work hand-in-hand with the University to design and bring to life the spirit and tradition of Penn State, while setting up Beaver Stadium to continue to serve fans for the years to come."

Penn State in May announced a planned four-year, $700 million expansion of Beaver Stadium, the nation's second-largest venue. Penn State chose to renovate the 63-year-old football stadium rather than build a new one that could have cost more $1.5 billion, Athletic Director Patrick Kraft said. Kraft has said that the renovated Beaver Stadium would retain a seating capacity above 100,000.

Kraft has said that the design phase would take about a year. Penn State is conducting maintenance and operations projects at Beaver Stadium over the next year to ensure its ability to host a potential 2024 College Football Playoff game. That includes winterization work, notably pipe insulation and other upgrades, to prevent freezing concerns in December. Penn State also plans to address field lighting, stadium foot traffic and other issues.

Following the 2024 season, Penn State will begin the phased plan to rebuild Beaver Stadium's West side to incorporate club and loge seats and suites. The renovation also will include upgrades to restroom and concession facilities, wider concourses for improved circulation, improvements to cellular and WiFi services and further seating offerings. Construction is scheduled to begin in January 2025 and be completed for the 2027 Penn State football season.

Penn State also announced three firms, Barton Malow, AECOM Hunt and Alexander, as the project's construction managers.

"We are excited to partner with these top-tier firms for the Beaver Stadium renovations,” Kraft said in a statement. "These companies have a strong history of both renovating and building college football and NFL stadiums and we know they will provide us with a great plan to make Beaver Stadium an even greater beacon for our University and department. We know these groups will preserve the history of Beaver Stadium while bringing it to a more updated and fan-friendly venue.”

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