The Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building at Penn State University was designed to house the Matson Museum’s collection storage, prioritizing efficiency, flexibility, and secure transport of artifacts. Partnering with architect Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the challenge was to create a storage system that optimized space while allowing safe movement of delicate items between classrooms and exhibition areas. The solution combined high-density mobile shelving with Nantucket trays and carts, ensuring efficient organization and seamless transport of artifacts. This scalable system not only meets the museum’s current storage needs but also provides room for future growth, supporting Penn State’s long-term museum operations.

Faced with rapid growth and increased inventory, the library required a new shelving design that would allow for more efficient storage and retrieval of materials. It now holds a system that maximizes the space available, while still accommodating for more than 200,000 volumes on the fourth-floor. The gradience on the shelving-ends that span the centre of the top floor visually creates an endless hall of books.

Housing a catalog of more than 185,000 books, the University aimed to reconfigure its' space to accommodate for the needs of today's modern libraries. With new storage and shelving system to organize their archives and books, the library now has ample room for necessary amenities and communal spaces.