Welcome to Penn Connects — A Vision for the Future.
While the entire site is a repository of information on the plan, this section is organized to provide viewers a snapshot of the latest information about how the plan is progressing.
Check back regularly for new postings on updates and progress on the planning, design, and building of Penn’s campus.
Latest Updates:
Penn Connects 2.0: A Renewed Vision
Penn Connects 2.0 builds upon the accomplishments of Phase 1 and the acquisition of a 23 acre former industrial parcel located south of campus along the Schuylkill River.
The renewed vision is based on the following four principles:
Focus the academic mission in the core campus, highlighting the integration of Penn's outstanding 12 schools.
Encourage connections within and beyond the campus to embrace interdisciplinary academic pursuit, research discovery and clinical care.
Develop vibrant living and activity spaces that support the learning environment.
Employ University sustainability goals and objectives to inform future development. In particular, balance new construction with adaptive reuse opportunities.
Spruce Street Plaza
Spruce Street Plaza is under construction to create a half acre open space by converting a parking lot at the University gateway intersection bounded by 33rd, 34th and Spruce Streets. The design will include a central lawn area, large shade trees, benches, lighting, seasonal plantings, and a new mid-block crossing to provide improved pedestrian safety in the area.
Shoemaker Green
Shoemaker Green, a 2.75 acre, $8.5 million open space project off 33rd Street between Franklin Field and the Palestra that connects the central campus to the University's new Penn Park on the eastern side, is now open. Sustainable design aspects highlight the project, including a rain garden, porous pavers, a cistern for rainwater reuse, and other green elements which support Penn's Climate Action Plan. The green space was chosen as one of more than 150 pilot projects around the globe to test a new Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) rating system for landscapes.
Golkin Hall
The Penn Law School's $33.6-million Golkin Hall, located on the 3400 block of Sansom Street, was opened for use in January, with final phases completed this spring. The building provides Penn Law with more classrooms and faculty office space, an auditorium that seats 350, and a moot courtroom. Golkin Hall follows a multi-year, $18 million renovation of Penn Law's three other interconnected buildings and completes a 10-year transformation of the Law School campus.
ARCH
The ARCH (Arts, Research and Culture House) at 36th and Locust Walk has moved into the construction phase for renovations to serve as a center of campus life. Plans include a lounge, gallery, conference and group study rooms with state of the art technology, expanded office space, an outdoor terrace and indoor café, an auditorium for lectures, performances, or receptions, and restoration of historic architectural features.
Singh Nanotechnology Center
Penn President Amy Gutmann, Deans Eduardo Glandt and Rebecca Bushnell, and University Trustees officially broke ground on the Singh Center for Nanotechnology on February 17, 2012. The new nanotechnology research facility will encourage the collaboration, exchange, and integration of knowledge that characterizes the study of this emerging field, and will combine the resources of both the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) and the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). Building completion is anticipated for the end of 2013.
Penn Park
Penn Park is a 24-acre site on the eastern edge of the campus, offering beautiful views of the Center City skyline located along the Schuylkill River between Walnut and South Streets. The Park expands Penn's athletic and recreation facilities within a broader public open space.
Translational Research Center
The base building for the Translational Research Center is complete and open, integrated into the complex of the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and the Roberts Proton Therapy Center. The new $370 million medical research building will house three Penn institutes: the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism; the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics; and the Penn Cardiovascular Institute. Construction of the additional $61 million fit out of three shelled floors will continue through the winter of 2012/2013.