BIOTECH COMMONS, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Philadelphia
RETROFIT TEAM
ARCHITECT: Voith & Mactavish Architects LLP
MATERIALS
Housed in a brick structure from the late 1960s, the library had been unassuming with dark interiors that felt cut-off from Hamilton Walk. The renovation replaces the brick façade with floor-to-ceiling windows at ground level. The new windows open the building to the campus, allowing passersby on Hamilton Walk to see inside and bringing natural light to the once-gloomy interiors. Reading areas and lounges for informal group work line the windows, offering daylit spaces with views out to campus.
The renovation was planned around the sensitive laboratory environments above and below Biotech Commons. The basement hosts a morgue and a Zebrafish laboratory—a space of floor-to-ceiling aquariums vulnerable to even minor sound vibrations. Above Biotech Commons are biomedical laboratories with specialized equipment served by glass pipes running through the building. Voith & Mactavish Architects’ renovation took a surgical approach, reconfiguring the floor in the least invasive way possible and integrating new MEP systems without disturbing the sensitive surroundings.
Throughout, finishes were selected for durability, environmental friendliness and ease-of-maintenance, lowering Biotech Commons’ life-cycle carbon footprint and operating costs. The building also hosts one of the first gender-neutral bathrooms on campus, advancing this university initiative.
Other elements—like wirelessly automatic door operators—foster health and safety in the post-COVID-19 world.
THE RETROFIT
Voith & Mactavish Architects transformed an outdated biomedical library into an open center for cross-disciplinary learning, prototyping and collaboration. The redesigned space opened its doors to the public on Sept. 20, 2021.
The renovation rethinks what a university library can be in an era when book reference and individual research have given way to digital learning, hands-on making and transdisciplinary exploration. Gone are the carrels and the stacks, replaced with tech-integrated conference spaces, collaboration classrooms with movable furniture and boards, and a digital fabrication lab equipped with modeling tools and 3D printers.
Biotech Commons supports new modes of research by offering a range of spaces and services that better support how people learn and work. Every facility—from conference centers and study rooms to fabrication shops—is free to be scheduled by any student. Unlike typical university libraries, Biotech Commons does not require a Penn ID for access, making it a barrier-free place that drives innovation by inviting professionals, students and community members to collaborate.
At the heart of the space are clusters of adaptable group workspaces. Accommodating anywhere from four to 12 people, these allow students to have impromptu breakout sessions and meetings. Various seating options encourage different formats of collaboration, and 20 group study rooms accommodate eight people each. The group studies are acoustically treated, allowing students to work together freely without disrupting others.
PHOTOS: Jeffrey Totaro