BOSTON, April 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Pennsylvania Law School will be celebrating the dedication of Golkin Hall on April 5, 2012. The formal dedication follows a week-long celebration, and U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor will lead the dedication ceremony.
The approximately $33.5 million, 40,000-square foot building, designed by the Boston-based firm Kennedy & Violich Architecture, promotes the collegial and collaborative environment that is central to Penn Law's educational mission. Golkin Hall creates a dramatic new entry to the Penn Law campus and provides a place where students can gather, exchange ideas and cross disciplines in a variety of spaces ranging from intimate ones to a 344-seat auditorium. The building features flexible, state-of-the-art seminar and collaboration spaces, and enhances interactions and facilitates new ones between and among faculty, students and staff. The design represents the identity of a contemporary, interdisciplinary Law School and its collaborative academic programs.
"Golkin Hall completes a 10-year transformation of the Penn Law campus. This major expansion in our academic facilities will ensure our continued role as a leader and innovator in legal education," states Dean Michael Fitts. "It will be the perfect environment in which to study law and engage the mind."
Golkin Hall has been designed to meet the standards set forth by University President Amy Gutmann's commitment to address global climate change and is pending LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Expert natural day-lighting and fresh air ventilation form the backbone of an achievable sustainable strategy for the new building. On its multi-tiered roofscape there is nearly 10,000 square feet of terraces and gardens that expand the school's connection to the outdoors and serve to retain rain water reducing the burden on Philadelphia's stormwater infrastructure and rivers.
About Kennedy & Violich Architecture
Kennedy & Violich Architecture is an interdisciplinary design and research practice that explores the relationship between the built environment, sustainable technologies, and emerging public needs. KVA projects include the Internationale Bauausstellung Soft House housing project in Hamburg, Germany, the Minneapolis Riverfront Development Initiative, and the 34th Street Ferry Terminal now under construction in New York City. KVA's work is published in journals of architecture and design culture and has been featured on National Public Radio, BBC World News, CBS News, CNN Principal Voices, Wired, and The Economist.
SOURCE Kennedy & Violich Architecture
