Stuart Weitzman School of Design

Preservation Awards recognize Weitzman faculty and alum work across Philadelphia region

Several Weitzman faculty and alums are recipients of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia’s annual Achievement Awards, including a team from the Department of Historic Preservation’s Center for Architectural Conservation that was recognized with a Grand Jury Award for its comprehensive documentation work of the George Nakashima Family House, and Molly Lester, a lecturer in historic preservation and associate director of the Urban Heritage Project, earned the Young Friends of the Preservation Alliance Award for her monograph “Building Ghosts: Past Lives and Lost Plac

Jessica Mach standing outside with her arm resting on a low brick wall

Fine art and design using artificial intelligence

Through the design course Artificial Intelligence in Art, second-year Jessica Mach has discovered AI's potential through creating several projects, including a video story and an interactive game.

5 min. read

Volunteers smiling and carrying tools and supplies during the block build event.

Penn lends support to Rebuilding Together Philadelphia effort repairing 11 local homes in two days

Marking a milestone block build, 70 Penn volunteers combined forces with Rebuilding Together Philadelphia, a nonprofit with roots at the University, to revitalize owner-occupied houses in the West Philadelphia community. The momentous two-day event involved a block build and speaking program—with a local homeowner sharing a heartfelt message.

2 min. read

Weitzman student and alum designate Penn’s oldest property to Philadelphia Historic Register

The building that houses Penn’s Greenfield Intercultural Center has been listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, thanks to a nomination authored by Ke-An Chiang, a graduate student at Penn’s Weitzman School. Built circa 1845, the Reed-Hubley Residence, a 3-story villa at 3708-12 Chestnut Street, is believed to be the oldest building owned by Penn, outside of Hospital properties, which served several families as a suburban villa before being acquired by the University in 1982.

Thea Kerekes stands in front of Kelly Family Gates at Penn.

Integrating a sociology education and love of portrait photography

Fourth-year Théa Kerekes developed a passion for photography long before she decided to study sociology, but the major has shaped how she sees the world.

4 min. read

Weitzman and Netter Center to tackle urban heat in West Philadelphia

A collaboration between the Thermal Architecture Lab at Penn’s Weitzman School of Design, the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, and the Annenberg School has been awarded an Environmental Protection Agency Thriving Communities Grant for $137,000 to work with William L. Sayre High School, a University-Assisted Community School, on measurement of urban heat and solution design.

Lance Freeman stands with hands in pockets outside of a building.

Changing neighborhoods, changing times

Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor Lance Freeman of the Weitzman School of Design and School of Arts & Sciences studies how people interact with the built environment.

Combining AI and artmaking for youth well-being

Through a community-led partnership project, graduate student Eileen Feng and an interdisciplinary, cross-school team are working with local youth to tailor an AI-supported platform for healing through creative arts.

Peter Cook and J. Larry Jameson in front of a portrait of Julian Abele.

Celebrating the architectural legacy of Penn’s first Black architecture graduate

At a gathering at Eisenlohr Hall, a portrait of renowned architect Julian Abele and a series of his paintings were unveiled, formally recognizing his design contributions to one of campus’ iconic structures.

Building bridges: A feat of engineering and artistry

At the Corning Museum of Glass, professor of architecture Masoud Akbarzadeh and his team have turned fragility into strength with a 30-foot-long span of shimmering glass, blending ancient wisdom with cutting-edge design to redefine the future of structural engineering and architecture.

9 min. read

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