Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology Opens

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-degree program covering new ground in the field of energy research. 

The building adds 110,000 sq. ft. of research, administrative, and collaboration space to the Schools of Arts & Sciences and School of Engineering and Applied Science, with a functional and flexible space that features interconnected modules in order to foster collaboration. VLEST was also designed to align with Penn’s sustainability mission; for example, the building’s sunshades reduce the energy required to cool the building by 40%, and VLEST is currently targeting LEED Platinum, the highest standard of LEED certification.

Learn more about the opening of the Vagelos Laboratories at Penn Today.