Temple University breaks ground on SOM-designed media hub and performance venue
Philadelphia’s Temple University has broken ground on the Caroline Kimmel Pavilion for Arts and Communication, a media hub and performance venue.
Scheduled for completion in fall 2027, the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)-designed project will bring together the Klein College of Media and Communications and the Center for Performing and Cinematic Arts (CPCA) under one roof for the first time. The two schools’ new 200,000-sf home will support interdisciplinary learning and programming.
Designed as a new gateway to the university, the building’s portico-like structure will invite the public onto a path lined with outdoor amenities, including green spaces and an outdoor amphitheater for performances and community gatherings.
The façade will feature large, angled glass apertures displaying the creative activity within the studios, post-production spaces, and screening rooms modeled after professional facilities. The building also will house classrooms and faculty offices, as well as performance and entertainment venues that include a 375-seat proscenium, a 180-seat cinema, a 140-seat black box theater, and a 63-seat screening room.
“The building acts as a bridge between Klein College and CPCA, tying these two academic communities together and displaying the creativity of students through its great sheets of glass,” Colin Koop, SOM Partner, said in a statement.
SOM developed a graduated palette from red to blue, with several shades in between, to indicate both the distinction and connection between the two schools. Along with large-scale signage, the colored volumes, which can be seen through the building’s apertures, also will assist with wayfinding and communicate the school’s activities to the public.
The Caroline Kimmel Pavilion for Arts and Communication has been designed for flexibility, including lobbies that can be reconfigured to accommodate events and gatherings.
“In the context of an evolving media industry, flexibility became an essential component of our holistic design strategy,” Laura Ettelman, SOM Partner, said in the statement. “From the lobbies through each individual studio, theater, and classroom, every space is modular, multifunctional, and adaptable to emerging technologies to support future generations of students.”
The interior design emphasizes sustainable and healthy materials, warm finishes, communal spaces, and daylighting to support health and wellbeing. Other sustainability features include a large green roof, native plantings, bird-friendly glass, and an overall window-to-wall ratio of 30 percent. The project targets LEED Silver certification.
On the project team: Temple University (owner), Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) (design architect and architect of record), AKF (MEP engineer), LERA (structural engineer).
