Issue date: 3/27/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Michael Chien A crane at Drexel, which is beginning a large construction project. [Click to enlarge]

Upcoming development projects associated with Penn, including the $500 million Cira Center South towers, will be changing the face of University City for years to come.

But Penn isn't the only institution changing the landscape west of the Schuylkill. This month, Drexel University announced that it will commit more than $400 million to the construction of 11 projects that will be completed by 2013.

"The campus master plan in development is reflective of the academic mission and the way Drexel is transforming," Drexel Vice President of Facilities Robert Francis said, adding that the plan is "evolutionary, not revolutionary."

In an approach similar to Penn's expansion, several Drexel projects will have sustainable design features.

Drexel's planned Integrated Sciences Building will make the school the first American university with a bio-filter wall - a 40-foot wall of living plants that acts as an air filter for dust particles.

Other projects will have typical eco-friendly features such as green roofs, water retention systems and restricted-flow plumbing.

Another major project that Drexel plans to begin next year is a $42 million expansion of its recreation center. The architect behind the project is Sasaki Associates, the same firm responsible for the design of Penn's master plan.

Officials said design plans were noteworthy for their inclusion of student input.

"The students were the driving force in getting the rec center expanded," Francis said.

The Drexel student body voted to increase its tuition fees by $100 in order to pay for the center's construction.

Design plans are also in the works for a hotel, which will be located across from 30th Street Station. Drexel will likely decide between proposals from two hotel chains, Marriott Renaissance and Westin, in about three weeks.

Other projects are a response to Drexel's growth over the past decade, during which time the enrollment of full-time students doubled.

The most direct response to this growth will be the construction of a dormitory at 34th Street and Powelton Avenue. Erdy McHenry Architecture ­- the firm that gave Penn the Radian, located at 40th and Walnut streets - will design the building.

According to Francis, construction crews should break ground on the project within two weeks, and the building will be occupied by fall 2009.

Both Penn and Drexel facilities officials said the overlap in the architectural firms behind their projects was no coincidence.

"We have a pretty open relationship with their facilities group," Mark Kocent, the principal planner for Facilities and Real Estate Services at Penn, said.

According to Kocent, the universities "keep each other apprised" of what they are working on.

He added that Penn's decision to hire Erdy McHenry Architecture to design the Radian was partially influenced by its success with Drexel's Race Street Residence Hall.

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