Weitzman Hall: Building the Future of Design

Building the Future of Design

MORGAN BUILDING PROJECT AT THE STUART WEITZMAN SCHOOL OF DESIGN

Weitzman Hall

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VIEW OF EXISTING MORGAN BUILDING FROM STUART WEITZMAN PLAZA

Note: All images in this proposal are conceptual renderings to be refined during the design process.

The Vision for Weitzman Hall Renovating the Morgan Building is a once-in-ageneration opportunity to adapt a historic structure to create spaces that perfectly serve the needs of the Weitzman School’s superlative faculty and students.

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ARCHITECTURAL RENDERING OF PROPOSED WEITZMAN HALL

The Weitzman School is an essential component of the Penn experience.

The Weitzman School of Design, since its founding in 1890, has been shaped by a commitment to the creative interaction of art and design with society.

This dynamic mission energizes a remarkable school—ranked among the best in the nation—where designers, planners, preservationists, and artists pursue their passion for advancing the public good.

Today, the Weitzman School enrolls more than 900 students, inspired by an illustrious faculty of 43 scholars and practitioners leading 28 degrees and 15 certificate programs. Together, faculty and students innovatively harness the power of art and design—merging beauty and function in practical new ways that improve the lives of individuals and entire communities.

The School gives all Penn students access to art, design, and architecture courses, integrating these disciplines into students’ broader education.

The benefits are far-reaching. For instance, a Wharton student destined for a Silicon Valley startup may gain new perspectives by enrolling in a stateof-the-art digital photography or animation class. A history student may find inspiration from hands-on historic preservation coursework. Currently, the Weitzman School’s Fine Arts Department alone serves over 1,400 Penn undergraduates annually with classes in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, and design.

What’s more, every Weitzman student enjoys access to courses at all 12 schools at Penn, including Arts & Sciences, Wharton, Penn Engineering, and the School of Social Policy and Practice (SP2). Dual-degree programs and certificates enhance students’ growth and expand their ability to make profound impacts throughout their varied careers.

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THE MORGAN BUILDING’S LOCATION ON CAMPUS MAKES IT AN IDEAL SPOT FOR WEITZMAN HALL

THE

Challenge: Create spaces to support the stature, size, reach, and innovative culture of the Weitzman School.

The Weitzman School’s facilities simply do not match its standing and contributions in the fields of art and design—or even the daily needs of its faculty and students.

The School’s main building, Meyerson Hall, was constructed in 1967—55 years ago. Since then, the School has met its growing needs by patching together space in multiple buildings. It currently occupies seven University structures and six leased spaces, many of which are less than ideal. This decentralized environment—with classrooms, studios, and laboratories spread across campus—hinders efficiency, collaboration, and communal energy.

With art and design changing rapidly, the Weitzman School’s educational environment needs to keep pace. Its design studios, exhibition halls, and research labs require flexible walls and lighting; digital tools and displays; audio, video, and virtual-reality capabilities; and the capacity to grow and adapt.

THE

Opportunity: Renovate and expand a historic building to meet 21st century needs.

A building on the perfect site already exists: a distinguished Penn structure in a prominent campus location that is long overdue for renovation. The Morgan Building sits directly across 34th Street from the Fisher Fine Arts Library, Meyerson Hall, and the newly renovated Stuart Weitzman Plaza. The striking building was designed by the renowned Philadelphia firm Cope & Stewardson in 1890 and is listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places.

The existing structure is truly a diamond in the rough, which can be renovated to provide a flexible, contemporary home for studios, research facilities, classrooms, faculty offices, and exhibition space.

To create the square footage that is needed now, an addition would be built onto the existing structure, similar to the one constructed in 2010 at the rear of the Music Department’s Lerner Center, the twin building located next to the Morgan Building.

This is the Morgan Moment to Create Weitzman Hall The need is indisputable:

the School’s facilities must rival those of its peers in order to

attract and retain the most gifted students and faculty. With the

Morgan Building project to create Weitzman Hall, the Weitzman

School will create the optimal

environment for design education and research.

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ARCHITECTURAL RENDERING OF EXHIBITION SPACE

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ARCHITECTURAL RENDERING OF DESIGN STUDIO

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ARCHITECTURAL RENDERING OF WEITZMAN HALL ENTRANCE

Features of the New Weitzman Hall Weitzman Hall will be the most significant building project at the School of Design in 55 years. This project expands existing space, with 34,000 square feet over the entire building. It creates modernized teaching and maker spaces, puts design on display, enhances interactions among students and faculty, and provides outdoor areas that connect people and nature with the creation of art.

Join us in this Morgan Moment— help build the future of design at Weitzman Hall.

Weitzman Hall will be a centrally located, state-of-the-art facility that fully serves the exceptional people who work and learn at the Weitzman School.

Student maker spaces

Light-filled fine arts and architecture studios adjacent to meeting spaces

Exhibition halls

3,340 square feet of light-filled, professionallevel exhibition space overlooking Smith Walk, a key campus artery

Communal spaces

Flexible spaces on all floors for informal gatherings, student/faculty meetings, and formal critiques

Research center hubs

Room for Weitzman School research centers to expand essential work on energy policy, climate change, and social equity

Outdoor elements

Welcoming entries, landscaped gardens, and multiple outdoor spaces

Enhanced connection with Weitzman Plaza for improved pedestrian flow Increased accessibility and visibility of the Weitzman School

The renovation and expansion of the Morgan Building to create Weitzman Hall will be the most significant building project at the School of Design in 55 years.

Weitzman Hall will be the physical embodiment of the Weitzman School’s prominent role and well-deserved reputation as a world leader in art, architecture, and design.

102 Meyerson Hall , 210 South 34th Street Philadelphia, PA 19104-6311 design.upenn.edu