Post by Lake Flato Architects

Penn Engineering’s University of Pennsylvania Amy Gutmann Hall has received a WoodWorks Wood in Architecture Award and was recently recognized at the The American Institute of Architects (AIA) conference. As University of Pennsylvania’s new home for data science and AI, Amy Gutmann Hall is a model for sustainable, biophilic design. At six stories and 116,000 square feet, the building is the tallest mass timber academic facility on the East Coast. Designed in collaboration with KSS Architects, the building connects students and researchers working in highly digital environments to the natural world through abundant daylight, expansive views, and sensory stimuli that encourage collaboration and comfort. Its innovative mass timber structure significantly reduces embodied carbon while reinforcing the building’s identity as a beacon of innovation. A high-performance envelope reduces energy consumption by nearly 20%, low-flow plumbing fixtures reduce indoor water usage by 33%, and more than 77% of regularly occupied spaces offer views to nature. Amy Gutmann Hall also reimagines the future of data science education, pairing flexible research neighborhoods with shared collaboration spaces that foster interdisciplinary exchange and community. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4xwLrrK Photography: Jeffrey Totaro AOR & Design Architect: Lake Flato Architects Client: University of Pennsylvania Associate Architect: KSS Architects Landscape Architect: Ground Control Collaborative Structural & MEP: Buro Happold Biomimicry Computational Designer: Matsys Lab Planner: Research Facilities Design (RFD) Acoustics: Metropolitan Acoustics Civil Engineer: Pennoni Envelope Consultant: RWDI Timber Vendor: Nordic Structures Precast: BPDL General Contractor: Gilbane Building LF Team: Andrew Herdeg, Ryan Jones, Kerry Phillips, Adie Hailat, Allison Peitz, Katie Cavazos, and Ellen Zhu.