Conservation of Covenant: Maintaining a campus landmark Covenant restored to the vibrant red hue it had upon installment on campus in 1975.nocred Conservation of Covenant: Maintaining a campus landmark This summer, Penn’s largest piece of public art, Covenant, has undergone the final stretch of a two-part maintenance project that involved restoring its bright red surface. 2 min. read
When design meets engineering, students solve the right problems For Sarah Rottenberg is the executive director of the Integrated Product Design Program at Penn Engineering and adjunct assistant professor at the Weitzman School of Design.(Image: Courtesy of Penn Engineering) When design meets engineering, students solve the right problems In Sarah Rottenberg’s studio course, engineering and design students are taught to rethink the earliest stage of design: understanding the problem itself. 2 min. read
Climate resilience planning in Rhode Island and the US Virgin Islands Beach on Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands(Image: Scott Page) Climate resilience planning in Rhode Island and the US Virgin Islands Urban planners Scott Page and Jamie Granger have been teaching Climate Resilience Studio since 2016, bringing their expertise from Interface Studio into the classroom. 2 min. read
Buildings that cool like African elephants nocred Buildings that cool like African elephants Inspired by the cracked, water-trapping skin of elephants, Penn researchers have developed a low-cost cement tile that cools buildings by capturing and slowly evaporating water—turning a structural flaw into a climate solution. 3 min. read
Soaking up the sun nocred Soaking up the sun A roundup of stories from Penn Today on solar innovation and protection. 2 min. read
Recreating the Declaration using 250-year-old techniques nocred Recreating the Declaration using 250-year-old techniques From papermaking to typesetting, Penn’s Common Press has been working to print the Declaration of Independence using the same methods as in 1776. Members of the public can sign up through December to print their own copies. 4 min. read
Awards and accolades for Penn faculty, faculty emeritus, and graduate students nocred Awards and accolades for Penn faculty, faculty emeritus, and graduate students Members of Penn’s faculty present and past along with graduate students in the School of Arts & Sciences, Penn Carey Law, Penn Vet, and the Weitzman School are featured. 2 min. read
The museum as object of design Weitzman’s Ferda Kolatan (seated far right) in his MSD-AAD studio.(Image: Dylan Li) The museum as object of design From expansion projects to new builds, faculty and students at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design are helping museums deepen connections to their site and community. 2 min. read
Making paper for the Declaration’s anniversary Kelly He lifts the mould and deckle to drain water from the paper pulp.nocred Making paper for the Declaration’s anniversary Learn the five steps to making paper as it was done in the Revolutionary era, part of a Common Press semiquincentennial project, alongside a class from the Weitzman School of Design. 5 min. read
Designing opportunities, not solutions, in Northeast Arizona Max Taylor, a Hopi ethnobotanist, leads students on a site visit at the Hopi First Mesa Consolidated Villages in the fall of 2025.(Image: Courtesy of Weitzman News) Designing opportunities, not solutions, in Northeast Arizona In a collaboration with the Hopi of Arizona, Weitzman School of Design students learn to listen to the land and channel the community’s aspirations. 2 min. read