Design | Penn Today

A ‘magic moment’ for PennDesign

The School of Design kicked off its Lead by Design campaign with an awards and fundraising gala in New York City.

Truck traffic is clogging Center City streets. What’s Philly going to do about it?

The School of Design’s Erick Guerra discussed the issue of delivery trucks blocking major streets in Philadelphia. “One of the big first steps is closely analyzing and understanding the problem,” he said. “I’m not sure that’s quite been done yet.”

Structures of the future

The Polyhedral Structures Laboratory, a research group based out of PennDesign, is showcasing an exhibit at the Pennovation Center that teases their work on designs with wide-reaching implications for construction.

PennDesign studios tackle disaster recovery planning in Puerto Rico

To begin planning hurricane disaster recovery for Puerto Rico, PennDesign faculty members recognize that the disaster began unfolding long before hurricanes Irma and Maria made landfall.

A Philly-Pittsburgh Hyperloop? State House resolution calls for feasibility study

Megan Ryerson of the School of Design discussed the feasibility and wisdom of investing in Hyperloop lines between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. “… It could really change the distribution of economic activities across cities that, right now, we think of as so distant,” said Ryerson.

Can this South Philly congregation beat the church demolition trend?

Frank Matero and Aaron Wunsch from the School of Design were cited for their efforts to support the conservation of South Philly’s 19th Street Baptist Church. The professors, along with a team of students, have researched the building, developed a guide for its restoration, and secured emergency repair grants.

PennDesign preservationists complete digital documentation of PA.’s slatelands

Frank Matero and John Hinchman’s website detailing the industrial landscape of the Pennsylvania Slate Belt, a 22-square-mile expanse of quarries, towns, transportation networks, and industrial wreckage, serves as a historical preservation tool via digital humanities.

Through the Knight grant, a new vision for public art

Members of PennDesign, Penn Libraries, and the Sachs Program for Arts Innovation are curating a project to reimagine art and new digital technology.

Kroiz exhibit illuminates the abstract in modern Japanese architecture

“Critical Abstractions: Modern Architecture in Japan, 1868-2018,” on display through Sept. 24, challenges prevailing ideas on the reasons behind the international appeal of modern architecture made in Japan.

Penn School of Design professor Francesca Ammon

Preserving Philadelphia’s Society Hill

The histories of more than 1,500 properties in a storied Philadelphia neighborhood are now accessible on the new website, “Preserving Society Hill.” Working with digital-humanities specialists in the Price Lab and the Libraries, PennDesign’s Francesca Ammon created an interactive map to document this innovative case study in urban renewal.

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