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Patkau Architects to Design New College House on Hill Square
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April 22, 2008, Volume 54, No. 30

The University of Pennsylvania has selected Patkau Architects of Canada as the designer for the new College House at Hill Square, the first new residential hall to be constructed at Penn in more than three decades. This project will bring together students, faculty and staff in a diverse community built on common intellectual interests.

The working version of the college house plan calls for low-rise buildings that partially enclose a Quad-like square and will feature approximately 340 units in a variety of room configurations. The existing green space on Hill Square will be redesigned to accommodate the building while still serving as a locus for gathering and recreation surrounding a diagonal sculp tural walkway that celebrates 125 Years of Women at Penn. In line with Penn’s goals for environmental sustainability, the project aims to secure a rating of LEED Gold or higher on the scale developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

President Amy Gutmann said that additional on-campus housing is a priority of the University’s 30-year master plan, Penn Connects –- A Vision for the Future.

“Our new Hill Square College House will not only help to meet the great demand for more on-campus living choices,” Dr. Gutmann said, “but, with a design that will fulfill our College House vision of a 24/7 learning community, the building also will enrich Penn’s undergraduate experience while bringing a vibrant, neighborhood feel to the vicinity around Hill Square.”

The College House at Hill Square will join Penn’s existing college houses: 11 unique undergraduate residences, which form the hub of intellectual, social and recreational life for students.

Patkau Architects is an internationally recognized and award-winning architectural design studio based in Vancouver, British Columbia. In more than 25 years of practice, both in Canada and in the US, the firm has designed a wide variety of building types for a diverse range of clients, including gallery installations to master planning, private houses to major urban libraries, sustainable building and emerging educational technologies.

Patkau Architects will be working in coordination with Philadelphia architecture firm Atkin Olshin Schade Architects, who have worked with Penn on projects as diverse as the Jaffe History of Art Building and the Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander School.

Additional information about Penn Connects and the new College House at Hill Square is available at www.pennconnects.upenn.edu.

 

 

 

Almanac - April 22, 2008, Volume 54, No. 30