Research Redo

Common spaces showcase historic portraits adjacent to contemporary signage.

Though time does indeed march on, aging yet still useful buildings are often left behind. One such building was Stemmler Hall, a research facility on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania dating back to the 1970s. Ballinger, an architecture and engineering firm, was hired to renovate and rejuvenate the structure, and they commissioned me to document their work.

Up the down staircase. The revamped common spaces for moving about and hanging out.

A new, more expansive glass entry helps open up the staid 1970’s rectilinear look of Stemmler Hall.

Can you imagine trying to conduct such work without the benefit of the Internet or computerized HVAC systems? Thankfully, faculty, students and staff no longer had to.

While our main objective was to showcase the exterior and the redesigned common spaces, we also documented the mechanical systems crucial to the functioning of modern medical research facilities. 

State of the art HVAC systems are essential to the functioning of modern science labs.