News

CSAP 4.0: A determined strategy for climate and sustainability action at Penn In mid-November, Penn’s Climate and Sustainability Action Plan (CSAP) 4.0 was released, which lays out the University’s ambitious sustainability goals for the next five years, as well as Penn’s path toward carbon neutrality by 2042. CSAP 4.0 expands the University’s goals to include the University of Pennsylvania Health System, as well as other Penn properties beyond West Philadelphia. In the five years since the Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0 was released, some of Penn’s sustainability accomplishments...

Members of the Penn community gathered in December to celebrate the opening of Penn’s newest building: the Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology (VLEST). Located at 3200 Walnut St., the $173 million cutting-edge facility provides state-of-the-art research space that connects Penn’s leading energy scientists and engineers. Made possible by a gift from alumnus P. Roy Vagelos and his wife Diana T. Vagelos, the building was designed to propel interdisciplinary research in energy science. It also houses the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER), an undergraduate dual...

Some new, diverse dining additions are coming to our University City neighborhood in late 2024. Gouldsburger’s, a casual burger concept focused on providing high-quality food with fresh ingredients, will open in Franklin’s Table Food Hall in late November, offering their signature burgers, cheesesteaks, uncured grass-fed beef hot dogs, vegetarian and gluten free items. Puyero, located at 3428 Sansom Street, will bring authentic Venezuelan cuisine to the heart of University City along the iconic Sansom Row. Serving up traditional dishes that transport diners to the Caribbean, Puyero will offer...

On a late September day, members of the Penn community gathered to dedicate the University’s new center for data science and artificial intelligence: Amy Gutmann Hall. A model of sustainability, the building is constructed primarily from mass timber, which has a lower carbon footprint than steel or concrete. Housing spaces for both research and teaching, Amy Gutmann Hall will train the next generation of scholars to mine data for insights that can be leveraged for the betterment of humanity. The building's flexible learning environments will also enhance Penn’s local community outreach and...

The Penn community celebrated the official ribbon-cutting of the Jane and David Ott Center for Track & Field on Saturday, Nov. 16. The first of its kind in Philadelphia, the $69.3M, 73,000-square-foot indoor facility is located at 610 River Fields Drive and connected to Hollenback Center. Filled with natural light, it features large, clerestory windows that face the Schuylkill River and can seat more than 1,000 people. The Ott Center contains a banked 200-meter running track, two long jump/triple jump runways, two pole vault runways, an eight-lane infield for sprints, hurdles, and high jump...

The Discover Penn program, a campus-wide cell phone tour that provides an innovative approach to experiencing the campus, was updated in 2024 with 15 new sites identified by red Discover Penn signs. The recordings are done by a variety of people connected to Penn: architects, designers, Penn leadership, faculty, and alumni, among others. The sites highlight Penn’s diversity, including public art, historic buildings, and research milestones. The program helps users understand Penn in a different and unexpected way – as a place – through its art, its buildings, and its landscape. Participants...

On Wednesday, July 24th, the Pennovation Accelerator held their seventh annual Pitch Day at the Pennovation Center, the final event for the six-week program focused on business development. At the conclusion of the twelve pitches, the judges and Pennovation Accelerator review committee deliberated on the winners, and robotics and AI company Sahay AI was awarded a $7,000 cash prize, Pennovation Center Resident Desk membership for six months (for up to 4 people), and promotion at the PCIV @ Pennovation Center Showcase. Read more about this year's Accelerator on the Pennovation website.

Visit the FRES Awards & Recognition page to read about some of the recent accolades given to FRES projects and staff in recognition of our work.

As of December 2023, Penn has moved one step closer towards its goal of 100% carbon neutrality on campus by 2042. Great Cove I and II - two solar facilities constructed in Central Pennsylvania as a result of Penn's power purchase agreement (PPA) - reached their commercial operation date. As both facilities now begin to generate power, the project will produce enough energy to power 70% of the total electricity demand of Penn's academic campus and the University of Pennsylvania Health System in the Greater Philadelphia area. The occasion of these two solar facilities becoming fully operational...

Each year, the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) celebrates the best architecture in the state with its Architectural Excellence Awards. In November, three Penn projects received these prestigious awards. The 50 Year/Timeless Architecture Award, which recognizes a building that still resonates with today’s design community and general public, was given to the Fisher Fine Arts Library, c elebrated for its innovative function and form that set an enduring standard for libraries. The Burk-Bergman Boathouse, which underwent a renovation in 2021 that modernized its...

The 2023 Penn Graduate School of Education (GSE) building expansion and renovation project was recently awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification for its sustainable design, construction, and operation. The project includes a welcoming new entrance to connect the existing Graduate School of Education and Stiteler buildings, and an addition focused on connectivity, flexibility, and accessibility that has helped the GSE consolidate many of its functions into one location. While the project aimed for Silver certification, it achieved Gold for its reuse of the...

Penn Reports Continued Progress Towards Goals of Climate & Sustainability Action Plan 3.0

Completed in summer 2023, the $35.5 million addition to the Graduate School of Education at the southwest corner of 37th and Walnut Streets creates a new welcoming entrance to connect the existing Graduate School of Education and Stiteler buildings. The addition focuses on connectivity, flexibility, and accessibility and allows the GSE to consolidate many of their functions into one location. It houses instructional laboratories, mixed-use classrooms, offices and student collaboration space within 16,200 GSF of new space and 16,900 GSF of renovated space. Read more about the new space, built...

Following tradition, in July, members of the University community gathered to celebrate the placement of the final mass timber wood panel on Penn’s new data science building, Amy Gutmann Hall. Scheduled for completion in summer 2024, Amy Gutmann Hall will serve as a campus hub for cross-disciplinary collaborations, centralizing resources and making the tools and concepts of data analysis more accessible to the entire Penn community. Read more about this important tradition in Penn Today.

In November, the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) awarded Penn’s Fisher Fine Arts Library its prestigious 50 Year/Timeless Architecture award. Each year the award recognizes a building that has endured the test of time and still resonates with the design community and the public. The Fisher Fine Arts Library, nicknamed Furness Library after its maverick designer Frank Furness, was completed in 1891. Furness’s design was revolutionary, pioneering the concept of separating book storage from other library functions like quiet study or group work. Isolating book...

Three recent Penn construction projects have been awarded 2023 Grand Jury Awards from the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia: the Burk-Bergman Boathouse renovation and addition, repairs to the David Goddard Research Laboratories (Goddard), and the renovation of historic Kelly Writer's House. The Burk-Bergman Boathouse, also known as the Penn Boathouse, project was completed in summer 2022. The primary goal of the renovation project was to restore the original historic boathouse and bolster recruitment for Penn Rowing by creating more usable space, improving accessibility, and...

In June 2023, Penn's Board of Trustees reviewed and approved the design for a new $75M, 37,300 sq. ft. Student Performing Arts Center to be constructed at the intersection of Chestnut Street and Woodland Walk, adjacent to Lauder and Hill college houses. Read more about the exciting new project's development in Penn Today, and visit the project page.

Several Penn building projects and sustainability initiatives have been recognized over the past few months.

A list of media coverage in Penn publications and other news outlets. Visit FRES in the News 202 3 for last year's stories. A look back at 2024 through Penn Today stories December 18, 2024 An illuminating celebration to a brighter, greener future December 12, 2024, Penn Today Penn's 133-year-old Fisher Fine Arts Library to undergo $17.8 million renovation December 2, 2024, Philly Voice Penn Bets Big On Green November 27, 2024, The Philadelphia Citizen Pennsylvania is home to one of ‘the most stunning libraries in America’ November 26, 2024, Penn Live Clad in Terra-Cotta Fins, UPenn’s Expanded...

A six-story, 50,000 GSF facility, is planned for the Corner of 40th and Walnut Streets and will include a ground floor McDonald’s restaurant. PHILADELPHIA, PA (January 13, 2023) – The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and McDonald’s USA, LLC (McDonald’s) announced the mixed-use redevelopment of the existing McDonald’s structure located at 3935 Walnut Street. This new six-story facility will include the reopening of a fully modernized McDonald’s restaurant on the first floor of the building. As part of a broader ongoing investment by Penn in the 40th Street Corridor, the University of...

A list of media coverage in Penn publications and other news outlets. Visit FRES in the News 2022 for last year's stories. Construction Nears Completion At Amy Gutmann Hall In UPenn In University City, West Philadelphia December 31, 2023, YIMBY A space for lifesaving, collaborative work November 22, 2023, Penn Today The Singh Center for Nanotechnology turns 10 November 20, 2023, Penn Today What’s That? Fisher Fine Arts Library windows November 14, 2023, Penn Today Penn’s urban forest November 13, 2023, Penn Today Penn reports success on Climate and Sustainability Action Plan goals November 7...

In December 2022, a ceremony was held to unveil a historical marker from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) outside the Palestra, honoring the historical significance of Penn's "Cathedral of College Basketball." Built at Penn in 1927, at the time the Palestra was one of the largest arenas in the world, seating 10,000 fans. Its revolutionary design featured superior sight lines and sat spectators in bleachers close to the court, removing barriers between spectators, coaches, and players. For years, the Palestra hosted Big 5 college matchups, some of the most storied...

In June, the University of Pennsylvania announced that the next phase of development at the Pennovation Works campus would include a 455,000-square-foot life sciences facility along 34th Street and Grays Ferry Avenue. The building will include roughly 387,000 square feet dedicated to biological research and development and 68,000 square feet for biomanufacturing and will be designed to integrate visually with the existing Pennovation Works campus structures. Construction is scheduled to begin next year, with the building opening planned for 2025. Read more about this exciting new chapter for...

An October 25th ceremonial groundbreaking, led by designer Stuart Weitzman and Penn President Liz Magill, marked the official beginning of the transformation of Weitzman Hall. Currently in the schematic design phase, Weitzman Hall, formerly known as the Morgan Building, will be renovated and expanded, doubling the existing space. The first major capital project for the Weitzman School of Design in more than 50 years, the new addition on the east side will feature a grand entrance foyer, a glass-walled exhibition gallery that opens to a covered outdoor patio, individual and multi-seat studios...

In October 2022, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a global higher education analytics company, announced that Penn ranks #2 in the nation and #8 globally in their 2023 World University Rankings for Sustainability. QS used eight indicators to test the universities based on two measures: sustainability and social impact. The overall sustainability of each school was determined by scores in categories of sustainable institutions, sustainable education, and sustainable research. Social impact measures include equality, knowledge exchange, educational impact, employability and opportunities, and quality...

In November 2022, Penn's campus in West Philadelphia was given renewed accreditation as a Level II arboretum, ensuring its status for the next five years. First recognized as a Level I arboretum in early 2017 by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program, Penn's campus is an urban forest with more than 6,500 trees in its collection, over 240 species of trees and shrubs, ten specialty gardens, and five urban parks. To achieve Level II status in late 2017, Penn's campus met the heightened criteria of developing a minimum of 100 species, varieties, or cultivars of trees or woody plants, as well...

Are you interested in learning more about the trees and plants on Penn's campus? Or, as the weather warms, in spending more time with friends outdoors? The Penn Plant Explorer Interactive website is an excellent resource for anyone looking to get outside, discover campus gardens, or find a quiet green space to relax. Users can also take staff-curated tours, and locate and identify trees and plants. Learn more about what you can do with the Penn Plant Explorer on the Morris Arboretum website, and get busy enjoying our green campus.

Gutmann College House, Penn's 450-bed residential building located at 40th and Walnut streets, has been awarded Silver Level LEED Certification. Completed in 2021, Gutmann College House was designed specifically as an undergraduate college house, part of Penn's residential system of shared communities. In addition to its suites, the student dormitory provides common areas including study, living, seminar and music practice rooms, as well as the Quaker Kitchen, a spacious area designed for cooking education and demonstrations. On its LEED scorecard, Gutmann College House scored points for its...

We are pleased to present the Penn Facilities & Real Estate Services FY23 Annual Report. In FRES, we have a broad and significant presence in and influence on Penn’s campus. Our work — whether we are designers, project managers, professional trades, housekeepers, or administrative support — in collaboration with our community, physically shapes the day-to-day life of the Penn community. Penn Facilities & Real Estate Services FY23 Annual Report

On May 13th, 2022, students, faculty, staff, and visitors from across Penn gathered to celebrate the reimagined Stuart Weitzman Plaza, located between Meyerson Hall and the Fisher Fine Arts Library. Named for Penn alumnus Stuart Weitzman, for whom the School of Design is also named and who spoke at the dedication, Weitzman Plaza features high-backed wooden benches for gathering, careful landscaping, and a wide staircase, increasing campus connectivity across 34th street. Read more about the dedication in Penn Today, and watch a video about the plaza's history, on the school's Vimeo channel.

For the thirteenth year in a row, Penn has been named a Tree Campus Higher Education (formerly known as Tree Campus USA) by the Arbor Day Foundation. The Tree Campus Higher Education program recognizes college and university campuses that effectively manage their campus trees. To continually obtain this distinction, the University of Pennsylvania has met the five core standards for sustainable campus forestry required by Tree Campus Higher Education, including the establishment of a tree advisory committee, evidence of a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for your campus tree...

The Penn Libraries have transformed their Biomedical Library into Biotech Commons, a multidisciplinary, flexible-learning facility located at the heart of campus. Read more about the $11.5M renovation, and see the features of the state-of-the-art space, at Penn Today.

Five Guys will soon be serving its popular burgers, fries, and shakes in its newest University City location at 3714 Spruce Street. Expected to open in late fall of 2021, the new space will be easily accessible from the Quad and the center of campus. Read more about what Five Guys brings to campus on the SHOP PENN website.

Penn's President Amy Gutmann announced in August that the university had started the planning process for a new student performing arts center at 33rd street and Woodland Walk. With a proposed budget of $31M, the center would be student-centered and include a dedicated performing arts space for undergraduate students, and include a 450-seat theater and contemporary stage. Read more about the proposed center, and a reinvigorated commitment to the arts at Penn, in Penn Today.

'Brick House,' a bronze sculpture by acclaimed artist Simone Leigh, was installed at 34th and Walnut streets in early November. Weighing close to 6,000 lbs., the piece depicts a Black woman’s head atop a form that suggests a skirt or perhaps a building. It is the first large-scale piece in the artist’s Anatomy of Architecture series that merges human form with diverse architectural elements. Read more about the sculpture and how it came to Penn in this article from Penn Today.

The 65,000 GSF Pennovation Lab Building is a rentable, multi-tenant laboratory and office building located within Pennovation Works. Focused toward companies that have outgrown their original space and are ready to expand, the Lab Building contains 2,000 SF modules that can be combined or subdivided based on tenant needs. The Lab Building’s proximity to the Pennovation Center and several other renovated research facilities contributes to the spirit of community and collaboration on the Pennovation Works site. Read more about what it has to offer on the Pennovation website.

University of Pennsylvania Signs Power Purchase Agreement with Community Energy for Largest Solar Project in PA For Release: April 13, 2020 Contact: Amanda Mott, Associate Director for News, University Communications, University of Pennsylvania, ammott@upenn.edu, (W) 215.898.1422 Jennifer Rizzi, Communications Director, Facilities & Real Estate Services, University of Pennsylvania, rizzi@upenn.edu, (W) 215.573.6107 The University of Pennsylvania has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the creation of a solar power project moving the University significantly closer to meeting its...

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA WEST PHILADELPHIA CAMPUS ACCREDITED AS AN ARBORETUM PHILADELPHIA, Pa (April 6, 2017) – The University of Pennsylvania campus in West Philadelphia is now officially recognized as an arboretum, the University’s Division of Facilities and Real Estate Services (FRES) announced today. Penn’s urban campus has achieved particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens, and therefore has been awarded a Level I Accreditation by The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program. Penn’s nearly 300 acres in West Philadelphia are the...

Penn's historic Quadrangle dormitories, originally constructed in 1895, are set to be renovated in a phased construction process that will accommodate students living in the dorms during the academic year. The $200M renovations will include the renovation of restrooms and finishes in student rooms, increased ADA accessibility, and the replacing of aging infrastructure systems. The project is expected to be completed in 2027.

In fall 2022, Penn was awarded a Silver designation as a Bicycle Friendly University (BFU) from the League of American Bicyclists. Lasting through 2026, the Silver designation recognizes the University's commitment to campus sustainability and community health by promoting a safe and bicycle friendly environment. The Bicycle Friendly University application assesses 5 main criteria areas: engineering, education, encouragement, evaluation, and equity efforts, and universities are graded by a judging panel. Penn received its first Silver designation as a Bicycle Friendly University in 2014, and...