Design | Penn Today

As sea levels rise, is Philadelphia International Airport in danger from storm surge?

Billy Fleming of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design explained why many airports are at risk of flooding as climate change progresses. “We build most of our big international airports in some of our lowest-lying places because at the time of building, that land was very cheap,” he said. “This is the logic of land development in most of the United States: to put all of the things we want out of sight and out of mind in our most vulnerable landscapes.”

Students examine Queen Puabi's Haddress through glass case

Five events to watch for in November

On the calendar for November around campus: an art party at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Penn Museum's annual Student Gala, and much more.

Mark Alan Hughes at his desk standing and talking with associates by windows in the sunlight.

Leading the way in the field of energy policy

During two decades at Penn, Mark Alan Hughes has made the University a leader in the field of energy policy—and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

Cover of book by Sonja Dümpelmann, "Seeing Trees: A History of Street Trees in New York City and Berlin"

A Q&A with landscape historian Sonja Dümpelmann

Landscape historian and standing faculty in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the Weitzmann School Sonja Dümpelmann discusses her new book, “Seeing Trees: A History of Street Trees in New York City and Berlin.

Two people pulling cloth off of bronze bust next to a podium with third person looking on

‘Power of design’

In a ceremony Thursday afternoon, President Amy Gutmann celebrated the naming of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design and Stuart Weitzman Plaza. Weitzman, the designer and footwear industry icon, graduated from the Wharton School in 1963.

America’s great climate exodus is starting in the Florida Keys

Billy Fleming of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design commented on ad hoc efforts by local and state governments to fund buyouts for homeowners in flood-prone areas. “The scale of this is almost unfathomable,” he said. “If we take any of the climate science seriously, we’re down to the last 10 to 12 years to mobilize the full force of the government and move on managed retreat. If we don’t, it won’t matter, because much of America will be underwater or on fire.”

Two people sitting on a stage, one gesturing with his hands. In front of them is a brown wooden table with two water bottles.

Dissecting the Green New Deal

During what’s likely the largest climate event ever held at Penn, leaders in a range of fields discussed the practicalities and implications of the resolution introduced into Congress in February aimed at stemming climate change.

student setting up design exhibit with a jacket and a loom and a sign.

New undergraduate design major launched in College of Arts and Sciences

A new undergraduate major in design launched this semester, along with a now-enhanced fine arts major, is being offered through a collaboration between the Stuart Weitzman School of Design and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Exterior view of Miller House, with a pebble courtyard with trees and a bench, green lawns and a modernist home.

PennPraxis team to help preserve iconic modernist home in Indiana

A PennPraxis team will develop a conservation management plan for Miller House and Garden, considered one of the finest examples of Modernist domestic design in Columbus, Indiana.

Filters