On Dec. 4, members of the University of Pennsylvania community gathered for a “topping off” ceremony securing the uppermost beam atop Penn’s new Neural and Behavioral Sciences Building. The ceremony signified the completion of the structural phase of the six-story, $68.6-million project that will integrate psychology, biology and behavioral sciences under one roof with research laboratories, teaching facilities and space for students to collaborate and study. 

Speaking at the event, Steven J. Fluharty, dean of Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences, said, “This project has become a reality because of a group of very generous donors who banded together to help the School realize its vision.”

As part of a longstanding tradition in construction, staff and administrators from Penn Arts & Sciences and Facilities and Real Estate as well as members of the construction and architectural teams were given the opportunity to sign the beam before it was hoisted via crane to the top of the NBS Building’s massive steel frame. Leadership donors to the project, including alumna and Penn parent Julie Seaman and Penn parents Bette and Robert Gromis, also signed the beam.

Located between the Leidy Labs at 3740 Hamilton Walk and the Carolyn Lynch Labs at 433 S. University Ave., the NBS Building constitutes the second, and final, phase of the School’s life sciences expansion project that began with construction of the Lynch Laboratories. Preparation for the construction began in the fall of 2008, and completion of the main building is expected in spring 2016.

The design team is led by SmithGroup JJR Architects and Engineers. P. Agnes Inc. is the construction manager.

As with every new building on Penn’s campus, the project is targeting a LEED Silver rating or higher. Sustainable elements will include a green roof and a south garden that provide both a separation from the traffic of University Avenue and a park-like setting. A bioswale crossed by a footbridge is a centerpiece to the garden, with seating, stone paving and a lawn making up the rest of the area. The south garden also provides for environmental storm water management. Bicycle parking will be available at the building’s east entrance off Hamilton Walk.

One special design feature of the Neural and Behavioral Sciences Building is an ornate aluminum sunscreen with cutouts on the south façade. The pattern of the sunscreen is designed to convey the branching and network structures found at all scales of biology and to resonate in psychological, linguistic and cognitive models. The sunscreen also provides an element of sustainability, offering an expected minimal 50 percent reduction of solar heat gain during summer months.

The NBS Building is strategically located among the group of research buildings that includes the Goddard Laboratory, designed by Louis Kahn; the historic Leidy Laboratory; and Kaskey Park. When completed, the NBS Building will present a new public façade on University Avenue, and will create a new gateway linking the campus on the south and west to the surrounding community. 

Additional information about the Neural and Behavioral Sciences Building is available at www.pennconnects.upenn.edu.

Click here to view a video of the '"topping off.'

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