Ballinger.comBallinger.comBallinger.comBallinger.com
  • Projects
    • By Service
      • Architecture
      • Engineering
      • Interiors
      • Preservation + Adaptive Reuse
      • Master Planning
    • By Market
      • Academic
      • Healthcare
      • Corporate
  • Headlines
  • Practice
    • Clients
  • Leadership
  • Careers
  • Connect
  • Projects
    • By Service
      • Architecture
      • Engineering
      • Interiors
      • Preservation + Adaptive Reuse
      • Master Planning
    • By Market
      • Academic
      • Healthcare
      • Corporate
  • Headlines
  • Practice
    • Clients
  • Leadership
  • Careers
  • Connect
University of Pennsylvania | Pennovation Center

Easily identified by its “disruptive” glass façade, the Pennovation Center is a groundbreaking incubator space developed by the University of Pennsylvania to foster start-ups.  Situated on a 23-acre site along the Schuylkill River and adjacent to Penn’s campus, the center contains 62,000 SF of state-of-the-art laboratory and office space.

Ballinger engineers worked hand-in-hand with design architect HWKN and architect-of-record KSS Architects to transform a former DuPont paint testing facility into the centerpiece of Pennovation Works, Penn’s innovation district.

Repurposing the building posed unique engineering challenges. Although offering flexible workspace to entrepreneurs isn’t new, Pennovation also offers lab tenants wet and dry labs and shared lab-support equipment. The systems design allows lab space to be reconfigured based on evolving needs and new tenants. The signature steel north façade demanded complex structural engineering. Tucked into the interior angles are bleacher seating, a board room, and special event spaces.

The building inspires creativity within: through shared amenities that promote spontaneous interaction, a “rough and ready” industrial character equipped for robotics testing, and extensive use of transparency to connect occupants to each other, to investors, and to the outside. The design and structure deliver on the owner’s desire to make Pennovation “the coolest place in town.”

Specific engineering features include:

  • Variable refrigerant flow system to maximize tenant temperature control
  • Flexible, modular wet laboratories
  • 96% efficient condensing boiler perimeter radiation system
  • Dual-wheel energy recovery wheel ventilation system
  • Venturi valve room pressurization controls
  • LEED Gold

Category

Academic · Engineering · Preservation + Adaptive Reuse

Share This

Philadelphia, PA |  62,000 SF

Services

Engineering

RELATED PROJECTS
University of Pennsylvania - Ballinger

University of Pennsylvania
Annenberg Public Policy Center


Awards

CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women) Philadelphia, Community Impact Award, 2016
Delaware Valley Association of Structural Engineers (DVASE), Outstanding Project Award, 2017
Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, Preservation Achievement Grand Jury Award, 2017

ABOUT US
We take pride in designing elegant places that contribute to the intellectual enrichment, research discovery, and medical advancements that drive our economies, and we diligently push for solutions that tread lightly on our environment.
CONTACT
  • 833 Chestnut Street, Suite 1400 Philadelphia, PA 19107
  • (215) - 446 - 0900
  • contact@ballinger.com
FROM INSTAGRAM
With the return to office on our mind, May's proje With the return to office on our mind, May's project of the month is an agile workspace designed for a confidential, corporate client. This project provides a new model for the modern workplace, inspired by the Scrum Guide’s three pillars for teams: transparency, inspection, and adaptation. As team rooms replace individual work seats to support multi-disciplinary collaboration, it ultimately redefines what it means to “go to work” #challengethechallenge
Happy Earth Day! Let today be a reminder that this Happy Earth Day! Let today be a reminder that this planet is our home, and it is ours to protect through responsible design #BeASteward
We are pleased to announce that April's project of We are pleased to announce that April's project of the month, @UMBC ‘s Interdisciplinary Life Science Building was recognized with an @ashrae_society Technology Award. The LEED Gold building is an example of how we, as exceptional stewards of operational and financial resources, reimagine resource consumptive projects. #BeASteward
This #worldhealthday we recognize all the healthca This #worldhealthday we recognize all the healthcare workers, researchers, and organizations whose efforts pave the way for the future, while protecting the present #LeadTheWay
The @uofmichigan School of Dance is our March proj The @uofmichigan School of Dance is our March project of the month! Rounding out the Music, Theatre, and Dance complex, this radiant space is designed for instruction, rehearsal, and small-scale performances. The home that it provides for the creativity of students, faculty, and staff on campus is ideal for the school's world-class curriculum. #EmpoweringCommunities
As we spring-forward in observing daylight savings As we spring-forward in observing daylight savings time, we are reminded how much natural light inspires our work at Ballinger
Follow Us
Copyright © 2022 Ballinger. All rights reserved.