University of Pennsylvania Amy Gutmann Hall

Overview

Completed in December 2024, the University of Pennsylvania Amy Gutmann Hall is a new timber frame, six-story academic facility.

As the new hub for the University of Pennsylvania's cross-disciplinary collaboration, Amy Gutmann Hall will help students, faculty, and staff harness research and data. Named after one of the University of Pennsylvania's longest-serving president, the building is the first mass timber project in Philadelphia, the first design-assist delivery project of scale for the University of Pennsylvania, and is one of the taller mass timber buildings in the region. The 116,000 square-foot, 6-story building includes classrooms, collaborative working spaces, research centers, and a data hub.

Our Approach 

We provided the design-assist mechanical and plumbing services for this new data science building. To get ahead of procurement issues and establish and maintain a target value, we were formally onboarded during design development to work with the engineer of record and project team. 

By working through various options, we guided the project team to commit to final equipment and material selections prior to 100 percent construction document delivery, facilitating a head start on coordinating openings and penetrations in the structural timber, which needed to be designed into the manufactured product. Additionally, our team reduced the total project budget between design development and the final construction document milestone.  

During construction, we designed and fabricated a floating riser system incorporating vibration isolation, expansion compensation, and anchoring systems. Over 500 elements across 5 riser sections were prefabricated locally, allowing the installation team to set approximately 1,000 feet of pipe in less than 2 days. Additional prefabrication included 6 equipment skids for pumps, heat exchangers, steam pressure-reducing stations, and interconnected piping. By pre-assembling these skids on wheeled carts, they were installed in a single day, ready to roll into place upon arrival.

In total, 38% of labor hours were shifted from the jobsite to our fabrication shop. This approach helped overcome logistical and space constraints, enhanced safety, and contributed to an impressive record of over 39,800 onsite hours with zero safety incidents.

Result

With a focus on sustainable design and the goal of connecting occupants in the digital world to the natural environment, the building structure produces a reduced carbon footprint. The project also included diverse business participation goals for Women-Business Enterprises (WBE) and Minority-Business Enterprises (MBE). 

Completed in December 2024, Amy Gutmann Hall makes the tools of data analysis more accessible across a variety of fields, furthering interests of the entire University of Pennsylvania community.