Ronald O. Perelman Center for Political Science and Economics (PCPSE) | University of Pennsylvania

Keast & Hood provided structural engineering for the creation of a unified 6-story academic building at the University of Pennsylvania. The project included renovation of the existing 54,440SF West Philadelphia Title and Trust Co. building built in 1925 and the construction of a new 56,700SF addition to the north.  

The addition includes a 120-seat auditorium, classroom space, faculty offices, collaboration areas, and computing rooms. Project highlights include: A 30-foot cantilevering feature stair, comprised of architecturally exposed structural steel that connects three floors; Retention and supplementation of the existing building’s structure; story high transfer trusses that support four floors above and one floor below to enable an unobstructed lower level auditorium; thin, flat-plate concrete floors that align with the existing building’s floor elevations for seamless transitions between the two structures. LEED Silver certification is anticipated.