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  #1  
Old Posted Nov 9, 2017, 5:56 PM
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PHILADELPHIA | Penn New College House West | 185 FT | 13 FLOORS

Title: New College House West
Project: Dormitory
Architect: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Developer: University of Pennsylvania
Location: 40th & Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA
Neighborhood: University City
District: West Philadelphia
Floors: 13 floors
Height: 185 FT

Penn Building Yet Another New College House









Quote:
Penn is calling this project New College House West, not to be confused with New College House, the dorm at 33rd & Chestnut that opened in 2016. The new dorm will rise 13 stories on Walnut Street, to the same height as the Radian building across the street. On the southern side, there will be two smaller wings that surround an open courtyard space, creating a footprint like an upside-down ‘U.’ The building will contain 450 beds for sophomores, juniors, and seniors, with suites containing between 2 and 6 bedrooms. Penn has hired Bohlin Cywinski Jackson as the architects for the project, the same firm that did the design for for the eastern version of New College House.

Construction on the project will begin in the spring, with completion expected in the fall of 2021. The cost for the project made us fall out of our chair, checking in at $163M. For reference, the recent renovation of Hill House cost $80.5M and the other New College House cost $125M. As you’ve probably guessed, these dorms aren’t called ‘New’ because of a donor named New, but because Penn hasn’t been able to find a lead donor for either project. With the second New College House now approved, we can safely assume that Penn’s endowment is doing quite well, thank you very much.
Read more here:
http://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-phill...-college-house
     
     
  #2  
Old Posted Nov 9, 2017, 9:00 PM
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Just out of curiosity, what's the minimum height for a building to be have its own thread on the forums?
     
     
  #3  
Old Posted Nov 9, 2017, 9:11 PM
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It'll have good architecture and it fills in part of that godawful superblock, but please please please have the good sense to put in ground floor retail and hopefully an expansion of the really cramped Walnut West library?
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  #4  
Old Posted Nov 9, 2017, 9:14 PM
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Originally Posted by Mr Saturn64 View Post
Just out of curiosity, what's the minimum height for a building to be have its own thread on the forums?
12 floors
     
     
  #5  
Old Posted Nov 9, 2017, 9:15 PM
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Originally Posted by hammersklavier View Post
It'll have good architecture and it fills in part of that godawful superblock, but please please please have the good sense to put in ground floor retail and hopefully an expansion of the really cramped Walnut West library?
Yes, agree. This is the biggest problem with College House at Hill Square - no ground floor retail fronting Chestnut. Such a missed opportunity.

This project absolutely needs ground floor retail fronting both Walnut and 40th Streets.
     
     
  #6  
Old Posted Nov 10, 2017, 1:41 AM
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I'll be shocked if they include retail in this. Just look at the rendering...
     
     
  #7  
Old Posted Nov 22, 2017, 3:20 PM
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Old Posted Nov 22, 2017, 7:03 PM
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From the additional drawings, I think it is safe to say that no retail will be part of the project.

Last edited by christof; Nov 23, 2017 at 1:31 AM.
     
     
  #9  
Old Posted Nov 22, 2017, 7:11 PM
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Originally Posted by christof View Post
From the additional drawings, I think it is safe to say that all retail will be part of the project.
If you meant to say NO retail, I agree. This will be similar to New College House--and all college houses at Penn except Stouffer--in that regard. And that's as it should be. Generally, you don't find ground floor retail in core academic and residential buildings on the campuses of other top urban universities that are Penn's peers, such as Harvard, Yale, Brown, Chicago, or even Columbia in Manhattan.

Last edited by Philly Fan; Nov 22, 2017 at 7:21 PM.
     
     
  #10  
Old Posted Nov 22, 2017, 9:35 PM
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Both the College House at Hill Square, and this project however, SHOULD include retail. Most Ivy League's aren't located in as central of a location as Penn is, so this is a little bit of a unique situation.

Makes no sense why they couldn't have retail along Chestnut Street for the Hill Square College House.

Makes no sense why this project wouldn't include retail along both Walnut AND 40th Streets, with the entrance to the dorm located on Locust Walk... but I digress. This is a big upgrade over the essentially empty grass field that is there now. I'm glad this is somewhat taller too, sitting at 13 floors. MOAR DENSITY!
     
     
  #11  
Old Posted Nov 23, 2017, 12:26 AM
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The lack of retail makes sense from the University's perspective. For student housing, security is probably their biggest concern, and introducing outside users to the space is a risk that I guess Penn isn't willing to take. As a student, though, I'm a little sad to see this green space go. There aren't many fields on campus, and this space is well used by students.
     
     
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Old Posted Nov 23, 2017, 3:52 AM
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Originally Posted by summersm343 View Post
Both the College House at Hill Square, and this project however, SHOULD include retail. Most Ivy League's aren't located in as central of a location as Penn is, so this is a little bit of a unique situation.

Makes no sense why they couldn't have retail along Chestnut Street for the Hill Square College House.

Makes no sense why this project wouldn't include retail along both Walnut AND 40th Streets, with the entrance to the dorm located on Locust Walk... but I digress. This is a big upgrade over the essentially empty grass field that is there now. I'm glad this is somewhat taller too, sitting at 13 floors. MOAR DENSITY!
On this one, we'll have to agree to disagree. Not all rules and principles of urban density and atmosphere need apply equally to every neighborhood in and around Center City. That variety is what makes for truly attractive, interesting cities! There's something unique and special about such a verdant, traditional, and historic Ivy League campus so close to the urban core, and in close proximity to such a dynamic and interesting area as University City. I think that most folks affiliated with Penn wouldn't want to lose that specialness to more conventional urban retail along its main campus corridors and in some of its core residential and academic buildings. And I think it would be a loss to the city as a whole to make this unique area more like other neighborhoods in and around Center City in that regard.
     
     
  #13  
Old Posted Nov 23, 2017, 10:00 PM
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As a Penn grad, I rather see the new college house without retail. Rather, I would like to see a classroom or two as part of the building.
     
     
  #14  
Old Posted Nov 24, 2017, 3:29 PM
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Originally Posted by christof View Post
As a Penn grad, I rather see the new college house without retail. Rather, I would like to see a classroom or two as part of the building.
Agreed (as another Penn grad). And that's the plan (similar to New College House east):

Quote:
With a mix of 6- and 5-bedroom two-bath suites and 4-, 3- and 2-bedroom one-bath suites, New College House West will also provide common areas including study, living, seminar and music practice rooms.
http://www.pennconnects.upenn.edu/fi...t_overview.php
     
     
  #15  
Old Posted Nov 24, 2017, 7:53 PM
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Originally Posted by Urbanthusiat View Post
The lack of retail makes sense from the University's perspective. For student housing, security is probably their biggest concern, and introducing outside users to the space is a risk that I guess Penn isn't willing to take. As a student, though, I'm a little sad to see this green space go. There aren't many fields on campus, and this space is well used by students.
If Penn wanted retail I'm sure there could be a way to design the building so the retail faced Walnut St and the housing component had it's entrance on the 'back' side facing the campus. Isn't that the arrangement at Stover (?) at 38th & Spruce.
     
     
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Old Posted Nov 25, 2017, 1:39 AM
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Originally Posted by City Wide View Post
If Penn wanted retail I'm sure there could be a way to design the building so the retail faced Walnut St and the housing component had it's entrance on the 'back' side facing the campus. Isn't that the arrangement at Stover (?) at 38th & Spruce.
Not many folks like Stouffer College House at Penn....
     
     
  #17  
Old Posted Nov 29, 2017, 3:12 PM
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There should absolutely be retail on the Walnut Street side, and maybe even along 40th Street too. There are plenty of quiet, Ivy League spaces elsewhere on campus. Penn needs to continue reactivating its borders with the city around it, instead of building any more dead all-institutional streetscapes.

I am sure there is a way to put retail facing out, and a fully separated dorm behind and above with entrances off of Locust.

(Penn grad here as well, if we're all flashing credentials )
     
     
  #18  
Old Posted Nov 29, 2017, 3:40 PM
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All they need to do is look at what Drexel did with their new dorm Chestnut.
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Old Posted Nov 29, 2017, 3:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Liam View Post
There should absolutely be retail on the Walnut Street side, and maybe even along 40th Street too. There are plenty of quiet, Ivy League spaces elsewhere on campus. Penn needs to continue reactivating its borders with the city around it, instead of building any more dead all-institutional streetscapes.

I am sure there is a way to put retail facing out, and a fully separated dorm behind and above with entrances off of Locust.

(Penn grad here as well, if we're all flashing credentials )
Fortunately, there's a great diversity of backgrounds, opinions, and beliefs among Penn grads in general. And I understand your position. But since the Rodin/Fry administration of the 1990s, Penn has successfully been activating its borders with the city without turning the ground floors of core undergraduate academic or residential buildings over to retail. And again, please correct me if I'm wrong about this, but I don't believe that any of Penn's top urban peers (the other urban Ivies, Chicago, Georgetown, etc.) have any significant retail presence in the ground floors of core undergraduate academic or residential buildings. But as I said to summers, this is something on which we can agree to disagree.
     
     
  #20  
Old Posted Nov 30, 2017, 2:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Philly Fan View Post
And again, please correct me if I'm wrong about this, but I don't believe that any of Penn's top urban peers (the other urban Ivies, Chicago, Georgetown, etc.) have any significant retail presence in the ground floors of core undergraduate academic or residential buildings. But as I said to summers, this is something on which we can agree to disagree.
Who cares? The "But Jenny and Julie Did It" Defense is arguably the worst of all time...what's right is right. Penn chose to be part of the urban fabric - and it should accept it - not sure why a college dorm has to be sanctimoniously preserved as some holy institution as if having a Fro-Yo and a drycleaner in your building is going to send these impressionable freshmen off on a wayward path.
     
     
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