Built Environment

Campus Development Plan: Penn Connects – a Vision for the Future

Penn Connects incorporates a number of sustainable development recommendations, especially in the east campus expansion area. The landscape strategy increases the amount of campus green space and uses site-adapted indigenous tree and shrub species. The plan orients new buildings in response to solar and natural ventilation, and recommends LEED certification for all new buildings, to minimize the use of natural resources, reduce energy use, improve indoor environmental quality, and mitigate burdens of new buildings on the ecosystem.

To learn more about Penn Connects sustainable approach to development, click here.

Sustainability Plan for Morris Arboretum

Sasaki Associates

The new Horticultural Center at Morris Arboretum will be foremost an exhibit on sustainability. Parts of the complex will have a planted green roof, and state-of-the-art energy management systems will be used. Storm water and gray water will be recycled in innovative ways. This project will serve as Penn’s first structure planned to achieve Platinum Level LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, if achieved, the Horticulture Center will be the first newly constructed, not-for-profit Platinum Level LEED® Certified building in the greater Philadelphia region, and only the second Platinum Level LEED® Certified building in the entire Commonwealth.

To learn more about the Morris Arboretum, click here.

Green Roofs on Campus

One of the most significant environmental challenges facing the City of Philadelphia is pollution of our rivers.  Like many of America's older cities, Philadelphia has a combined sewer / stormwater system, where the underground sewer pipes also carry away excess stormwater after a rainfall.  During significant rain events, excess stormwater from city roofs, roads, and parking lots can overwhelm the sewage treatment plants, resulting in untreated sewage being washed directly into the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers. 

Because a good portion of the city is comprised of rooftops, one of the key strategies to reducing stormwater runoff is using green roofs -- roofs planted with vegetation or grasses -- to slow the passage of rainwater into the sewer system.  In cooperation with the Philadelphia Water Department Office of Watersheds, Penn is leading the way to installing green roofs on a number of our buildings.  By capturing rainwater and reducing it slowly over time, Penn's green roofs lessen the burden on the West Philadelphia sewer system, while providing several additional environmental benefits.  The roofing system helps keep the top floor cooler by reducing the rooftop temperature during hot months, and in winter the plants and soil insulate the building from sub-zero temperatures and icy winds.  The plantings extend the life of the roof waterproofing membrane by protecting it from UV light and extreme temperature swings.  Finally, green roofs can provide a habitat for a number of insect and bird species, increasing urban biodiversity and creating a more healthy ecosystem.

Examples of living landscapes above campus building spaces are located at the Hill Pavilion of the Vet School, Koo Plaza at Huntsman Hall, Nursing’s Claire Fagin Hall courtyard, Kings Court English College House, and at The Radian apartment complex above the street-level shops.

Click here to read about Penn's first green roof, Kings Court English College House.

Singh Nanotechnology Center

The Singh Nanotechnology Center, currently in the design phase, will house molecular research in the areas of engineering, medicine and the health sciences, expected to receive a LEED® Silver rating. The building will be located in the 3200 block of Walnut Street, and funded in part by a $20 million gift from Krishna Singh, an alumnus of Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. Its sustainable design includes locally sourced construction materials, a green roof, low flow water fixtures, solar-heated hot water, natural ventilation and design for daylight harvesting.

To learn more about the Singh Nanotechonolgy Center, click here.