BLT Architects (BLTa), a Philadelphia-based architectural and interior design firm, announced it has been commissioned to begin work on Drexel University's Dornsife Center. The Dornsife Center was made possible by a generous $10 million gift by Dana and David Dornsife and will be located on a 1.3-acre site at 35th and Spring Garden streets.
The Dornsife Center will be a resource hub to share expertise and knowledge with the West Philadelphia community. The center will offer a welcoming environment for local children, senior citizens, and families to interact with technology. The current site of the Dornsife Center is home to three existing buildings — an elementary school and two administrative buildings that have sat dormant for a number of years. These buildings will be renovated by BLTa to provide a range of flexible spaces that will accommodate small group meetings and workshops, as well as larger gatherings and hands-on exhibits.
“We are excited to begin renovations on Drexel's newest outreach efforts in West Philadelphia," said Michael L. Prifti, FAIA, Managing Principal at BLTa. "This project is especially fulfilling as not only will we be restoring life to a site that has sat vacant for years, but the newly outfitted buildings will serve a higher purpose of providing a harbor of learning for the local community. BLTa has a deep history of renovating existing structures and new construction in higher education settings, and we are looking forward to bringing our expertise to the Dornsife project." +
Related Stories
| Sep 7, 2011
KSS Architects wins AIA NJ design award
The project was one of three to win the award in the category of Architectural/Non-Residential.
| May 18, 2011
Major Trends in University Residence Halls
They’re not ‘dorms’ anymore. Today’s collegiate housing facilities are lively, state-of-the-art, and green—and a growing sector for Building Teams to explore.
| May 18, 2011
Raphael Viñoly’s serpentine-shaped building snakes up San Francisco hillside
The hillside location for the Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine building at the University of California, San Francisco, presented a challenge to the Building Team of Raphael Viñoly, SmithGroup, DPR Construction, and Forell/Elsesser Engineers. The 660-foot-long serpentine-shaped building sits on a structural framework 40 to 70 feet off the ground to accommodate the hillside’s steep 60-degree slope.
| Apr 13, 2011
Duke University parking garage driven to LEED certification
People parking their cars inside the new Research Drive garage at Duke University are making history—they’re utilizing the country’s first freestanding LEED-certified parking structure.
| Apr 12, 2011
Rutgers students offered choice of food and dining facilities
The Livingston Dining Commons at Rutgers University’s Livingston Campus in New Brunswick, N.J., was designed by Biber Partnership, Summit, N.J., to offer three different dining rooms that connect to a central servery.
| Apr 12, 2011
College of New Jersey facility will teach teachers how to teach
The College of New Jersey broke ground on its 79,000-sf School of Education building in Ewing, N.J.
| Mar 23, 2011
After 60 years of student lobbying, new activity center opens at University of Texas
The new Student Activity Center at the University of Texas campus, Austin, is the result of almost 60 years of students lobbying for another dedicated social and cultural center on campus. The 149,000-sf facility is designed to serve as the "campus living room," and should earn a LEED Gold certification, a first for the campus.
| Mar 18, 2011
Universities will compete to build a campus on New York City land
New York City announced that it had received 18 expressions of interest in establishing a research center from universities and corporations around the world. Struggling to compete with Silicon Valley, Boston, and other high-tech hubs, officials charged with developing the city’s economy have identified several city-owned sites that might serve as a home for the research center for applied science and engineering that they hope to establish.
