UPenn Library Transforms into High-Tech Hub

  • By Matt Jones
  • 03/31/21

The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pa., is in the process of revamping its outdated biomedical library into what a press release calls “an open center for cross-disciplinary learning, prototyping, and collaboration.” The university is working with Voith and Mactavish Architects LLP (VMA) to finish the renovations by June 2021 and open the building to students for the fall 2021 academic semester.

The new library space, the Biotech Commons, trades stacks of dusty bookshelves and abandoned cubicles for more modern research tools including tech-integrated conference spaces, a digital fabrication lab with 3D printers, and collaboration classrooms with movable furniture. The library’s location among several university schools (like the schools of nursing, sciences, medicine, and engineering) gives it the ideal opportunity to serve students all over campus, no matter their needs or area of study.

University of Pennsylvania Biotech Commons

“The idea of a library as a quiet, formal space for reference is out-of-step with the future of learning,” said Sennah Loftus, VMA associate principal and the project’s lead designer. “We thought of Biotech Commons as a hub—a truly active place where engineers can come in and talk with the Medical Group over lunch, or industry leaders can meet with students to prototype a new idea together in the fabrication lab.”

Any enrolled student at the school is free to reserve any of the facility’s workspaces, from study rooms to the fabrication shop. The library also doesn’t require a student ID to enter the building, making it accessible to business professionals and the community at large.

Other renovations to the building include replacing its brick façade with floor-to-ceiling windows, opening the once-dark and dingy ground-level lobby to natural light. Both public and private group workspaces are scattered throughout the building, making impromptu meetings or study sessions as easy as finding a place to sit down. A large reading room can be converted into a gathering space that can accommodate up to 80 people.

The building was also designed with durability, ease-of-maintenance, and environmental friendliness in mind with the goal of lowering the facility’s carbon footprint—and its operating costs.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • University of Kentucky Receives $2.5M Donation Toward Renovation Project

    The University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., recently announced that it has accepted a $2.5-million donation that will transform Pence Hall into the home of the university’s College of Communication and Information, according to a news release.

  • Minnesota District Completes Major Renovations, Expansions to High School

    White Bear Lake Area Schools in White Bear Lake, Minn., recently announced that it has completed the renovation and expansion of White Bear Lake Area High School, according to a news release. The school’s final addition, a new 845-seat Performing Arts Center, was finished in November.

  • Massachusetts Charter School Opens New Academic Building

    The Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School (AMSA) in Marlborough, Mass., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new academic building, according to a news release. The 17,000-square-foot space will serve as a classroom and science lab building for the student population of almost a thousand in grades 6–12.

  • Michigan School District Installs New Gun-Detection Platform

    Williamston Community Schools in Williamston, Mich., recently announced that it has installed the ZeroEyes gun-detection video analytics platform for its five schools, according to a news release. ZeroEyes is the only solution of its kind with a U.S. Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act Designation and adds an AI gun-detection and intelligent situational awareness software layer into existing school security cameras.