Plans for Hamilton Village
Two architectural firms--Patkau Architects of Vancouver, Canada and Kieran,
Tim berlake & Harris of Philadelphia--have been selected by the University
to shape the future of Hamilton Village, the area formerly known as Superblock.
They will be responsible for developing plans for the northwest quadrant
of Hamilton Village, defined as the area bordered by Walnut Street, 39th
Street, Locust Walk, and 40th Street, as part of the University's $300 million
Housing & Dining Renewal Project. These winning firms were selected
from a group of internationally-renowned firms who presented their submissions
to Penn this summer.
All of the competition designs will be on display for public viewing
this month, the Provost's Office announced. Their announcement said:
"Patkau's winning submission for two new College Houses featured
elegant and efficient student suites within low-rise buildings that hug
sculpted courtyards, which will yield 700 new rentable bedspaces. Kieran,
Timberlake & Harris demonstrated many promising ideas for the reconceptualization
of the high-rise Hamilton College House at 3901 Locust Walk. The firm will
conduct a feasibility study to determine if the tower can be divided to
create two College Houses, each with an occupancy of around 500 residents,
that feature separate lobbies, elevators, and public spaces. As for the
student rooms, single bedrooms and kitchens within each unit are highly
desirable.
"Once the Hamilton Village low-rise buildings are constructed, they
will serve, for approximately four years, as swing space for each of the
present College Houses as they undergo major renovation.
"One proposed low-rise house might utilize land directly north of
Hamilton College House and consist of several buildings that face one another,
creating an intimate space between Locust Walk and Walnut Street with multiple
points of entry into its courtyard.
"Another proposed low-rise house might consist of buildings that
form a quadrangle around an inner courtyard on land west of Hamilton College
House."
Retail or office space could be included on the ground floor along 40th
Street, and this House could contain a Visual Arts hub that has been proposed
for the "practice, study, and enjoyment of the visual arts in all media,
especially video, film, photography, painting, sculpture, printmaking and
architecture."
Free Library: The announcement also said the Free Library of Philadelphia
will be preserved--either in its present building or within the new construction,
according to the wishes of Library. |
Endowing Chairs:
A Domino Effect at Psych
In 1977, the School of Medicine awarded its Stuart and Emily Mudd Professorship
of Human Behavior to Dr. Karl Rickels, a professor of psychiatry and pharmacology
known for his research in psychopharmacology and chem-ical dependency, and
for the treament of anxiety, depression, panic disorder and premenstrual
syndrome.
The Mudd chair he holds had been given to the University by two prestigious
medical faculty members known for their far-reaching contributions both
in basic science (Dr. Stuart Mudd was a noted microbiologist) and in the
delivery of what today would be summed up as family health-including Dr.
Emily Mudd's founding of the Marriage Council of Philadelphia (since renamed
the Penn Council for Relationships).
Dr. Rickels has now redoubled the tradition by endowing the second of
two chairs in psychiatry. The first honors his father, Karl E. Rickels,
and the newer one honors his wife, Linda. Both Rickels chairs' first incumbents
are announced here,
along with holders of two other prestigious chairs in psychiatry, the Kenneth
Appel and Ruth Meltzer professorships.
Director of Wharton E-Commerce Forum: Dr. Gerrity
The Wharton School's former dean, Dr. Thomas P. Gerrity, is the new director
of the Wharton Forum on Electronic Commerce, a business-academic partnership
set up in 1996 to focus on e-business.
Dr. Gerrity, who headed the School from 1990 until this past June, was
an early pioneer in the strategic application of technology. As founder
and CEO of the Index Group, he built one of the world's leading consulting
firms in information technology and management before joining Penn.
The Forum created at Wharton during his deanship brings together corporate
leaders from diverse industries and a team of more than 50 Wharton faculty
members from across various disciplines to share insights and discuss research
on a range of e-commerce issues. Currently on the research agenda: studies
on web-based competition, Internet pricing strategies, emerging new models
for web-based enterprises, business-to-business e-commerce and online purchasing
behavior. Among its other initiatives, the Forum established the Wharton
Virtual Test Market, which now has more than 18,000 panel members around
the globe participating in a large-scale behavioral study of Internet usage.
The appointment of Dr. Gerrity "further signals the Wharton School's
major commitment to e-commerce and technology-related initiatives,"
said the School announcement. Along with some 50 existing course offerings
related to e-commerce, Wharton now has an explicit course on the subject,
called "Internet Entrepreneurship," and plans to initiate more
new degree and non-degree programs related to e-commerce in the coming year. |