Archinect - News

Following a Frank Gehry overhaul, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is hiring an exhibition designer

2024-04-24T17:28:00-04:00

Following last week’s look at an opening for a Deputy Director, Occupancy Management - Real Estate at the MTA Metropolitan Transportation Authority, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an open role on Archinect Jobs for an Exhibition Designer at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The role calls for an individual who will design special exhibitions, gallery projects, and gallery furnishings for the display of works of art in the museum. Specific tasks may include managing the design and documentation process for exhibitions, creating technical drawings and models of objects and spaces, and developing schedules for construction and object installation. Among the requirements for the role are model-making skills, design training and experience, and preferably a degree in art, architecture, or art history.

The museum's North Entrance, for the first time in decades, was restored to public use in 2019. Steve Hall © Hall + Merrick Photographers, 2019, cour...

Four geometric glazed facades by KieranTimberlake: Your Next Employer?

2024-03-11T13:42:00-04:00

Following last week’s visit to New York-based Bates Masi + Architects, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to Philadelphia this week to explore the work of KieranTimberlake.

Founded in 1984, the firm describes its approach to architecture as an “alchemy of art, science, analysis, and intuition.” As we have previously reported, the firm’s impact on the built environment was honored in 2021 with their receipt of the 35th Louis I. Kahn Award while, in that same year, the team spoke with us in relation to their Tally life cycle assessment software as part of our feature ‘Meet the Architects Designing Software to Fight Climate Change.’

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for several positions to join their Philadelphia office. For candidates interested in applying for a position, or anybody interested in learning about the firm’s output, we have rounded up four contemporary glazed projects by KieranTimberlake that exemplify the studio’s ethos.

Student Innova...

Philadelphia’s Center for Architecture and Design rebrands as DesignPhiladelphia

2024-01-31T19:51:00-05:00

Philadelphia’s Center for Architecture and Design has revealed its rebranding as DesignPhiladelphia, according to an announcement the educational nonprofit made public recently.

The name change heralds an expansion of services as an organization, which has been open to the public since 2002. AIA Philadelphia will continue as an anchor tenant, joined by the Community Design Collaborative, PhilaNOMA, Design Advocacy Group, Creative Mornings PHL, and eight new design associations as Residence Partners.

“The new name, DesignPhiladelphia, represents our commitment to inclusivity and collaboration across all design fields, including graphics, interiors, and more. Our programming: Design Education, the Festival, the Edmund N. Bacon Urban Design Awards, and the Louis I. Kahn Lecture will all continue underneath the new DesignPhiladelphia brand,” an FAQ on the Center’s website reads.

Former K-12 Architecture and Design Education programming will now be called simply Design Education progra...

SOM begins $550 million Gray 30th Street Station redevelopment in Philadelphia

2024-01-29T13:57:00-05:00

The groundbreaking on SOM’s $550 million William H. Gray III 30th Street Station redevelopment was held in Philadelphia this month in advance of the next 50-year leg of the historic building’s journey in service to commuters who first began making use of it in 1933.

Gilbane will be directing the design-build for the project, which will last at the station through the end of 2027. By that time, its passenger capacity will have doubled to 25 million per year. The project covers approximately 500,000 square feet overall and is part of a larger $10 billion District Plan that will add retail amenities and other improvements to the Market Street Plaza outside.

Image courtesy Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)

According to Amtrak, the scope of the redevelopment includes:

modernizing and expanding station food & beverage and retail offerings
improving station operations and enhancing the customer experience
upgrading The Porch landscaping and commun...

Research finds a link between social vulnerability and urban heat island effect

2023-12-29T11:32:00-05:00

New research from two U.S. universities has drawn a link between socially vulnerable populations and urban heat island effect. The team, drawn from the University of Texas at San Antonio and Pennsylvania State University, used Philadelphia as a case study to summarize how more vulnerable people live in neighborhoods that are “less green and that get hotter.”

The research was recently published in the Journal of Buildings, and examines the differing characteristics of two Philadelphia neighborhoods to study how the way a neighborhood is built, and the characteristics of the people who live there, are both related to how hot it gets. The team found a “clear link between outdoor temperature and specific urban characteristics” before asking “whether these urban characteristics can be related to the social vulnerability of the residents.”

The social vulnerability of different Philadelphia neighborhoods. Image credit: Research team, licensed under CC BY-ND

The group established a social vu...

Harriet Pattison, landscape architect and longtime Louis Kahn collaborator, dies at 94

2023-10-10T18:47:00-04:00

Harriet Pattison, a noted American landscape architect who worked closely with her romantic partner Louis Kahn, passed away in Philadelphia last week, according to their son, filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn. She was 94.

Pattison enjoyed a career that spanned more than thirty years, working predominantly in Maine and Pennsylvania before she pursued her own path following the death of Kahn in 1974. Pattison studied landscape architecture at the University of Pennsylvania after working briefly in Dan Kiley’s Vermont-based practice. She would later go on to work alongside Kahn on the Kimbell Art Museum and Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park projects through a position with George Erwin Patton. Pattison was also inducted as a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 2016.

Pattison was instrumental in creating the landscape architecture at Louis Kahn's design for the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith/Library of Congress (Public Domain)

Patti...

Perkins&Will opens Philadelphia studio in Northeastern expansion

2023-09-28T11:41:00-04:00

Perkins&Will has opened a new studio in Philadelphia as part of a mission to “extend its integrated design services to clients in Philadelphia and the surrounding region, including western and central Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey.”

The Philadelphia office, located at 2000 Market Street, is expected to integrate with the firm’s existing Northeast regional teams in New York, Boston, and Washington D.C. According to the firm, the establishment of a Philadelphia studio was motivated in part by the city’s growth in the commercial life sciences sector, particularly cell and gene therapy.

Perkins&Will-designed office tower for the University of Pennsylvania Health System. Image credit: Perkins&Will

“We’re thrilled to officially launch our Philadelphia practice, joining many of the nation’s leading businesses, medical centers, and higher-education institutions,” said Bill Harris, regional managing director at Perkins&Will, in a statement about the new office. “We already ...

Three blends of old and new by CosciaMoos Architecture: Your Next Employer?

2023-09-18T12:17:00-04:00

Following last week’s visit to California-based Brooks + Scarpa, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to Philadelphia this week to explore the work of CosciaMoos Architecture.

Founded in 2010, the architecture and interior design firm believes that “architecture isn’t just about designing buildings; it’s about working together to design creative solutions.” The studio’s resulting portfolio includes commercial, mixed-use, healthcare, and interior projects, shaped along its three values: Be creative and make it cool; challenges are growth opportunities; and relationships are everything.

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring a Project Manager – Nationwide Healthcare & Retail Projects. For candidates interested in applying for the position, or anybody interested in learning more about the studio’s work, we have rounded up three projects by CosciaMoos Architecture that blend old and new architectural elements.

Hamilton Court Amenities Building. Image credit: Ha...

Looking for a new architecture job in Philadelphia? Check out these 8 opportunities

2023-06-23T09:00:00-04:00

Whether you're seeking your first job or looking to transfer your skillsets to another firm, Archinect has pulled together a list of opportunities from Archinect Jobs for architects and design professionals in the Philadelphia area.

As a leader in all things architectural employment and professional practice, Archinect continues to provide the community with tips and resources to help guide you during your job hunt. Below are five architecture firms and design studios looking to grow their team.

The Student Innovation Center by Kieran Timberlake serves as a hub and gateway for innovation on ISU’s campus. Image © Peter Aaron/OTTO.

KieranTimberlake seeks a Proposal Specialist

Details: "The Proposal Specialist will be part of a dynamic team and will collaborate to advance the firm’s strategic goals, responsible for the timely and successful creation and coordination of project proposals, qualifications, and client-facing interview materials. Working closely with the firm’s leadership ...

Steven Holl Architects reveals design for UPenn's new Student Performing Arts Center

2023-06-16T16:57:00-04:00

Steven Holl Architects has unveiled renderings for their design of a new Student Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadephia.

The 37,300-square-foot structure will provide dedicated space for the performing arts at Penn and features a 300-seat proscenium theater, 125-seat studio theater, support spaces, and five rehearsal studios. The firm says they will pursue a LEED-silver certification for the project, which is sited on the northeast quadrant of the 1,085-acre campus as a new gateway between the university and city beyond.

“It is a great joy and honor to work on a performing arts center for the students of this historic university on such an important site,” Holl stated.

Image courtesy Steven Holl Architects

The design for the Center itself evokes the iconic nearby Fisher Fine Arts Library, repeating the use of red terracotta in its façade while separating the program into unique suspended trapezoidal masses that are meant to echo the move...

Bird Safe Philly's 'Lights Out' campaign reduces avian collisions with buildings

2023-03-21T19:17:00-04:00

A new avian-friendly program aimed at protecting bird local populations during their spring migratory period is taking off in Philadelphia with the hopes of being applied elsewhere in order to combat a mostly invisible problem impacting the ecological systems surrounding major cities across the world.

The Philadelphia Inquirer recently published an interesting look at the success of the Lights Out Philly initiative, which encourages building owners, businesses, and individuals to turn off or reduce unnecessary lighting, especially during peak migration periods, minimizing light pollution and allowing migrating birds to navigate more safely. The program has shown a 70% decrease in the number of bird deaths caused by accidental collisions with buildings in the Center City area since being inaugurated in April of 2021.

Lights Out Philly is managed under the larger umbrella of Bird Safe Philly, a consortium of interest groups that includes the National Audubon Society and Drexel Univers...

Robert Geddes, former Princeton Architecture Dean and Philadelphia Roundhouse designer, passes away aged 99

2023-02-14T12:47:00-05:00

Former Princeton University School of Architecture Dean Robert Geddes has passed away at 99.

Born in Philadelphia in 1923, Geddes served in the United States Army Air Force during World War II before finishing his studies at Yale and then earning an M.Arch from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. From there, Geddes went on to practice briefly under Hugh Stubbins in Cambridge, designing what would be the runner-up in the Sydney Opera House competition before returning to Philadelphia to form Geddes Qualls Brecher Cunningham Architects (or GQCA) in 1960.

Their most significant building, the 125,000-square-foot Brutalist Philadelphia Police Headquarters has turned into one of the city’s most fraught and essentially iconic landmarks. After initially being intended as a progressive example of then-Mayor Richardson Dilworth’s “de-politicized” police force, the structure would later take on a more sinister connotation as a symbol of violent authoritarianism and abuse thanks to (un-autho...

Philly's infamous police headquarters faces an uncertain future as a symbol of brutality

2023-02-06T18:51:00-05:00

The city of Philadelphia is prepared to release a report detailing a months-long community engagement effort officials say will inform the fate of the Roundhouse, the unusual concrete building that served as police headquarters for more than six decades. Many of the residents who participated in that process said they want to see the shuttered building at 7th and Race streets repurposed as a community hub that recognizes the site’s long history of police abuse.

Philadelphia has a long-frayed relationship between its police department and the community, including most notably the 1985 MOVE Bombing that claimed the lives of 11 activists while displacing another 250 people and destroying 61 homes. The Roundhouse has a central role in this fraught history, and now opinions are split over its proposed future redevelopment.

Robert Geddes, one of the building’s three designers has chimed in to say he feels it should be given a second life as a font for social justice activities and other types of community-based activism. The 125,000-square-foot Brutalist-style structure has also been floated as the potential site of affordable housing, though its layout remains difficult to convert by most estimates.

A final decision on its fate is expected sometime within the calendar year.

Featured architecture job openings in Philadelphia

2022-12-22T06:00:00-05:00

Philadelphia is home to several historic and influential buildings. Home to Robert Venturi's Guild House as well as César Pelli's Circa Centre, the state is also home to several architecture firms leading the way in design.

As the leading architecture job board in the industry, Archinect Jobs features over 100+ new job opportunities each week. This week we're featuring eight Philadelphia-based architecture firms looking for the right candidate to join their team.

Bright Common seeks an Architect Level I and Architect Level II

Details: "Bright Common is a studio focused on high concept, low carbon design for a climate-adapted future. Our diverse experience includes work on residential, commercial, and mixed-use projects. As evidence of our unique approach and expanding portfolio, we were awarded the Architectural Record Design Vanguard and Philadelphia Emerging Architect Prize. We are seeking collaborative people who are interested in working on a wide range of tasks to join our...

Historian Amber Wiley to lead UPenn's Center for the Preservation of Civil Rights Sites

2022-09-19T09:00:00-04:00

Award-winning architectural and urban historian Amber Wiley has been announced by the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design as the inaugural Matt and Erika Nord Director of the Center for the Preservation of Civil Rights Sites (CPCRS).

The current Rutgers University assistant professor will also hold the title of Presidential Associate Professor and lecture primarily in the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation. Wiley holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from George Washington University in addition to degrees in Architecture and Architectural History from Yale and the University of Virginia.

From Wiley's 2021 CPCRS talk titled “The Revolution Continues.” Image courtesy UPenn.

She comes to the new positions highly recommended as the author of the forthcoming title Model Schools in the Model City: Race, Planning, and Education in the Nation’s Capital and curator of Collective Yearning: Black Women Artists from the Zimmerli Art Museum, now on view at Rutgers’ New Bru...

Herzog & de Meuron reveals plans for a dedicated Alexander Calder sculpture garden in Philadelphia

2022-09-07T17:25:00-04:00

The extraordinary work of late artist Alexander Calder will soon be displayed in his hometown of Philadelphia thanks to a dedicated new sculpture garden designed by Herzog & de Meuron.

The Calder Foundation has shared renderings of the forthcoming Calder Gardens project ahead of its anticipated fall groundbreaking on a 1.8-acre site located adjacent to other prominent arts institutions along the city’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

Image © Herzog & de Meuron

The images appear to show a sunken structure with subterranean galleries that emerge into a dynamic 18,000-square-foot main building surrounded by gardens manicured by famed landscape designer Piet Oudolf. HdM says that the project "blurs the boundaries between architecture and the natural world" and is thus intended to "unfold as a choreographed progression that moves visitors from the quotidian city context to a more contemplative realm beyond the traditional museum experience" in order to "catalyze discovery and reflection."

Imag...

Denise Scott Brown remembers John Rauch, long-time partner and influential driver of postmodernism, who passed away aged 91

2022-08-25T12:18:00-04:00

An influential figure in the development of American postmodernism has been lost after news that former Venturi, Scott Brown partner John Rauch passed away in Philadelphia last week.

Rauch was born and raised in the city and educated at Wesleyan University and UPenn before entering the profession following his service in the U.S. Army. He was an early champion of the work of his partner Robert Venturi and would, through their combined efforts under the then-moniker Venturi and Rauch, contribute to formative projects including the influential Vanna Venturi house and Fire Station #4 that defined the scope and trajectory of architecture for another thirty years.

Fire Station #4 in Columbus, Indiana. Image courtesy Library of Congress

The practice continued to evolve after the addition of Denise Scott Brown in 1969 and publication of Learning from Las Vegas in 1972. Rauch would again be instrumental in the selection of major higher-ed commissions for Yale, Princeton, and Ohio State Unive...

19 architecture jobs in Philadelphia

2022-08-18T13:52:00-04:00

Searching for a new architecture job in Philly? Continuing with our regional-specific curated job roundups, we're focusing on nine Philadelphia-based architecture firms looking to hire mid-level and senior project managers, project architects, and designers.

As the architecture industry's leading job board, Archinect Jobs showcases employment opportunities for design professionals at any stage in their careers. Search from hundreds of job listings weekly to find the best position for you.

Tree Adventure by Metcalfe Architecture and Design. Image courtesy of Metcalfe Architecture and Design.

Metcalfe Architecture & Design seeks a Project Manager

Details: "We are seeking an architect with strong skills in programming, budget management, design, CAD/Revit, construction administration, writing, people client relations, and organization…yes, all that! LEED AP and digital modelling would be great. A background in art or construction would be useful." Learn more here.

Metcalfe Architectur...

10 featured architecture jobs in Philadelphia

2022-06-15T05:25:00-04:00

Searching for architectural career opportunities in Philadelphia? For this week's curated job picks we highlight eight architecture firms that are searching for the right candidate to join their team. From project architects to a junior designer explore ten employment opportunities currently listed on Archinect's Job Board.

Be sure to explore our recently highlighted job picks for designers and architects searching for employment in the Houston, San Francisco, and Seattle region.

Unisphere. Image © EwingCole

EwingCole seeks a Healthcare Planner

Details: "Our multi-disciplinary practice is built on the core values of professional excellence, design quality and collaboration. The Healthcare Practice in our Philadelphia office is looking for a Healthcare Planner with at least 5 years experience to join our team. As part of the Architecture Discipline, the Healthcare Planner will develop their diversity of architectural expertise including planning, design, construction technology, docu...

Perkins Eastman acquires BLT Architects, its second merger in as many years

2022-02-11T16:54:00-05:00

One of the largest architecture firms in North America is expanding again as Perkins Eastman has announced a merger with BLT Architects (BLTa) effective February 1st.

The new entity will be known as BLTa—A Perkins Eastman Studio and operate out of Philadelphia, a traditional stronghold of Perkins.

“We are very pleased that BLTa has joined us, and we now have a strong partner in Philadelphia. We have had the opportunity to get to know BLTa over the last several years and believe they bring significant skills and experience to our national practice,” Perkins Eastman chairman and co-founded Brad Perkins said in a statement. “Moreover, we have always had important clients in Philadelphia, eastern Pennsylvania, and the adjacent states, and with BLTa we can now better serve those that want a combination of our national expertise combined with experienced local delivery and service.”

The in-state move is the latest in a list of successive acquisitions the firm has made dating back to the ...

The Weitzman School of Design's latest exhibition offers a look at the impact its alumni had in making China modern

2022-01-18T13:03:00-05:00

What can a western architectural education do in a developing country? The legacy of one of the leading design colleges in America is being examined as such in a new exhibition called Building in China: A Century of Dialogues on Modern Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design in Philadelphia.

The exhibition is presented in unison with Southeast University School of Architecture and the Tongji University College of Architecture and Urban Planning and features a two-part format that looks first at the historical impacts the university has had on the development of architecture in the country after 1920.

Peace Hotel of Beijing, designed by Tingbao Yang. Image courtesy University of Pennsylvania.

Penn educated a number of prominent Chinese architects during those years, and many went on to successful architectural careers that were heavily influenced by the proximity to the international movement of modernism which began at the university. The fi...

A ‘hospital of the future’: Foster + Partners opens new medical school building at UPenn

2021-11-19T09:00:00-05:00

With the spiritual and material well-being of its next-generation patients in mind, the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine has opened an inpatient facility from Foster + Partners and others that is being heralded as a “hospital of the future.”

Located on Penn’s historic West Philadelphia campus, The Pavillion is the university’s answer to the growing body of scholarship that supports a patient-oriented approach to care that is embodied in its design and functionality.

“The new Pavilion is designed to completely redefine the future of healthcare,” Norman Foster said. “The building enables innovations that reflect University of Pennsylvania’s history of medical firsts, creating a truly flexible facility that molds itself to the needs of the patient. Responsive, adaptable and future-proof, it will allow the hospital to continue its crucial life-saving work and remain at the cutting edge of patient care.”

The University indeed h...

Center for Architecture and Design to honor KieranTimberlake with its 35th Louis I. Kahn Award

2021-10-07T13:52:00-04:00

Philadelphia’s Center for Architecture and Design will honor Stephen Kieran and James Timberlake with the 2021 Louis I. Khan Award.

The duo and founders of eponymous KieranTimberlake will join David Adjaye and Jeanne Gang as recent winners of the annual award now in its 35th year.

The award is meant to recognize the influence of its namesake, a Philadelphia native and icon of modernism, that Timberlake referred to as an “architect’s architect.”

“We are humbled and grateful for this award,” the architect said in a statement. “As for Steve and me, and the firm at-large, it is recognition of the diligence, effort, and hard work that we give to each and every commission and an acknowledgment to our clients that they made the right choice.”

Related on Archinect: How To Get A Job At: KieranTimberlake

KieranTimberlake’s practice was first established in the city in 1984 and has since gone on to establish itself as an international leader in the industry, with multiple AIA awards and a 2010...

Philadelphia's planned SEPTA wayfinding redesign is gaining traction online

2021-09-18T09:00:00-04:00

So far, Philly’s proposed wayfinding makeover has won praise from transit advocates around the country. The proposal draws from international best practices for transit navigability, and reflects similar changes in Seattle and San Francisco as big cities grapple with how to lure riders back to mass transportation.

Philadelphia's transit system is the country’s seventh-largest and is often the subject of criticism over its wayfinding and disorienting layout. The $40 million redesign is going to be rolled out gradually and will be fully unveiled sometime in 2022.

A planned four-mile addition to the King of Prussia rail line is also coming thanks to unused federal COVID funding. SEPTA says the extension is one of five projects that will boost economic recovery in the area by 50%.

Bloomberg CityLab has more on the initial reception here.

Mayhem in New York City and across the Northeast as Ida causes major infrastructure damage

2021-09-02T12:41:00-04:00

The transit situation on Thursday in New York City remained paralyzed, with service on more than half of the city’s subway lines disrupted, commuter rail lines running limited trains, and Amtrak canceling service on a major corridor.

Wednesday night’s flooding caused New York City to issue a travel ban usually reserved for major winter storm events. The storm also inundated large sections of major highways in Philadelphia and impacted operations at Newark Liberty International Airport.

The New York subway hasn’t seen a test of this magnitude since Hurricane Sandy caused $4.5 billion in damages that were meted out on the system for years.

Watch: The New York area was under a state of emergency on Thursday after the remnants of Hurricane Ida led to at least 14 deaths and disrupted subway service. Across the city, New Yorkers documented the scene as flood waters overwhelmed buses and subways. https://t.co/spVsdgF0XX pic.twitter.com/r2vg2aDRVg
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 2, 2021

A lot of the upgrades the MTA made after Sandy involved improving signal switches and flood-proofing the subway’s electrical grid.

The LIRR, NJ Transit, and Metro-North systems have all temporarily shut down. I-95 was also af...

UPenn study uses biometric data to identify unsafe urban infrastructure

2021-07-21T17:08:00-04:00

A new study published in Accident Analysis & Prevention shows how biometric data can be used to find potentially challenging and dangerous areas of urban infrastructure before a crash occurs. Lead author Megan Ryerson led a team of researchers in the Stuart Weitzman School of Design and the School of Engineering and Applied Science in collecting and analyzing eye-tracking data from cyclists navigating Philadelphia’s streets.

As explained in a piece by Penn Today, current federal rules for making safe transportation interventions require the notation of crashes. This reactive approach relies on previous human cost before new considerations are made. Seeking to minimize harmful events altogether, Ryerson and her team sought to capture data on human behavior to better understand what factors make an area unsafe rather than previous data.

The team developed a quantitative methodology to evaluate cognitive workload, a measure of mental effort put forth by someone in response to certain tasks, in cyclists when faced with various infrastructure designs.

One of the main findings was a correlation between locations with disproportionately high numbers of crashes and consistent biometric responses that indicated increased cognitive workload. While high cognitive workload doesn’t mean a person will definitely crash, it can be inferred that one is less effective in processing new information, which could lead to d...

Venus Williams will be a keynote speaker at the AIA Conference on Architecture

2021-06-15T07:58:00-04:00

This year’s AIA Conference on Architecture just got an unexpected celebrity guest.

Tennis legend Venus Williams will be the keynote speaker at this year’s edition of the conference, where she will deliver a lecture titled ‘The Need for Change.’

Williams, who has long been seen as a champion of gender and racial equity, has made a name for herself in architectural circles lately after starting her own interior design firm V Starr in 2002. The Florida-based firm made waves earlier this year for its reworking of sister Serena’s 14,500 square foot Spanish-style mansion in Miami that included an infinity pool, 620 square foot closet, Gaggenau appliances, wine cellar, and white-walled gallery space meant to showcase the superlative collection the younger Williams has amassed over her three decade career.

The 40-year-old former grand slam champion has also partnered with Airbnb affiliate Niido on the design for the interior of their eponymous apartment complexes, which began operation in 2...

A circular floating pathway will allow visitors to walk atop Philadelphia's Schuylkill River

2021-05-24T18:35:00-04:00

A captivating, one-of-a-kind structure will allow visitors to seemingly walk atop the Schuylkill River, right along the southern shoreline of Philadelphia’s Bartram’s Garden. Set to arrive in 2022, FloatLab is a large, walkable art installation and learning lab. It is a new project from Mural Arts Philadelphia with support from the William Penn Foundation and is being designed by Boston-based firm Höweler + Yoon Architecture.

The lime green, ring-shaped pathway will change in elevation as visitors walk through it, creating points where one is walking above the water and others where one is eye level with the river. Approaches in architectural design, marine engineering, and naval architecture inform a system of eight ballast chambers below the structure’s surface, which allow FloatLab to remain consistently level and stable as the tide moves in and out.

Image: Höweler + Yoon Architecture and Brick Visual

FloatLab was designed as a means to explore the river and reconnect visitors to...

A pavilion of facemasks and soda cans opens in Philadelphia, designed by SLO Architecture

2021-05-11T11:29:00-04:00

An installation by SLO Architecture has been unveiled in Camden, New Jersey, which repurposes 3600 facemasks into a dynamic façade and pavilion. “Turntable” will sit as a 6-month-long installation in Coopers Poynt Waterfront Park, facing the Delaware River and downtown Philadelphia, infusing reflections on history, waste, and public space in a post-pandemic world.

Image: SLO Architecture

The installation occupies a site which, during the 18th century, served as a critical infrastructure node for land and water-based transport along the Delaware River and the now-buried Windmill Island. From the 1980s until 2010, the site also served as a prison, thus separating the public from the waterfront. The design team’s vision was for an installation which invited activity back to the site, while also reflecting on the thematic history of unearthing, rediscovering, and reconsidering.

Image: SLO Architecture

SLO Architecture’s design features a dome made from thousands of the familiar blue f...

The Philadelphia Museum of Art unveils $233 million renovation by Frank Gehry

2021-05-07T16:41:00-04:00

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has unveiled a $233 million renovation, reorganization, and interior expansion of its historic 1928 main building. The undertaking, called the Core Project, was led by Frank Gehry and saw the addition of nearly 90,000 square feet of reimagined and newly created space within the museum. This is the latest phase of a master plan for improvements that was approved by the museum’s board of trustees in 2004. It also marks the completion of four years of construction.

The primary elements of the Core Project include: a rebuilt and more accessible West Terrace, now the Robbi and Bruce Toll Terrace, with the addition of integrated ramps; a renovated Lenfest Hall, a space that has long been the main western entrance to the museum, which has become more open and light-filled and now features new coffered ceilings, restored columns, a newly installed wall scu...