Focus Area
Department/Center
Designing DNA in the Classroom Professor Orkan Telhan's research resides at the intersection of art, science, and emerging technologies; his work provides insights into the very building blocks of life. Now he's sharing tools that can help students unlock these insights in high-school classrooms.
Monument Lab In 2015, Professor and Chair of Fine Arts Ken Lum and late artist and faculty member Terry Adkins set up a large outdoor classroom at City Hall and posed a question of everyone who passed through: "What is an appropriate monument for the current city of Philadelphia?"
Reclaiming Sharswood at North Philly Peace Park It started with a vacant lot, situated in the heart of Sharswood, in North Philadelphia. The lot was an eyesore, ignored for decades until local resident advocates reclaimed it, building an informal community space and launching agriculture projects to offset food scarcity, providing free produce to their neighbors.
Preserving the West Built of primitive materials in unforgiving climates, many American landmarks are uniquely vulnerable. Organizations tasked with protecting the integrity of these important historical landmarks look to PennDesign.
Louis Kahn Steps Out Again in Philadelphia With a slate of public events in support of the first major retrospective of Kahn’s work since the early 1990s, the legendary architect and longtime PennDesign faculty member was again a presence in the city where he spent most of his life.
Seeing the Road from New Perspectives Philadelphia is one of a number of American cities experiencing a growth spurt, and it's not alone in facing the challenge of accommodating the evolving transit needs of its residents.
World Urban Forum In February of 2018, global leaders came together in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at the World Urban Forum, a UN-Habitat conference that examines urbanization and promotes sustainable development.
The Future of Architectural History in Venice Every two years, architects descend on this breathtaking island city to track important developments in the field.
Reimagining the Slatelands The materials that built America were refined from the land of the Lehigh Valley, a region north of Philadelphia.