PROJECT OVERVIEW

The newly constructed Tangen Hall will house the University of Pennsylvania’s (Penn’s) new Venture Lab program, serving as the university’s home for student entrepreneurship and innovation.

The building facade consists of two systems: precast concrete and window wall. While the facade is primarily curtain wall, the entire east side features precast concrete vertical wall panels. A formliner with a vertical rib was used to create patterns and a shadow effect. “Both systems were designed to carry a unique pattern to help create a dynamic and fluid façade, offering a view into the innovation culture at Penn,” notes Petar Mattioni, partner at KSS Architects.

Read more about this project in the Winter 2021 issue of Ascent.

PRECAST SOLUTION

With the need for both aesthetics and fire resistance, precast concrete was always part of the façade design. The building is situated on the property line and required precast concrete wall to provide the necessary fire rating.

Architect

KSS Architects

Engineer

The Harman Group

Contractor

Hunter Roberts Construction Group

Owner

University of Pennsylvania

Precast Concrete Producer

Architectural Precast Innovations

PCI Specialty Engineer

FDG Incorporated

Key Project Attributes

• Building information modeling (BIM) models helped anticipate coordination of the structural steel and precast concrete connections, making them seamless.
• While the facade is primarily curtain wall, the entire east side features precast concrete vertical wall panels. A formliner with a vertical rib was used to create patterns and a shadow effect. “The use of the formliner was not repetitive, to achieve a custom appearance.”

Project/Precast Scope

• Seven-story, 68,000-square-foot building
• 68,357 sf of architectural concrete panels
• Panels kept under 10 ft wide to stay within standard trucking parameters