University of Pennsylvania Amy Gutmann Hall

Housing Penn Engineering’s data science research and academic programs, Amy Gutmann Hall is a vibrant and welcoming hub for cross-disciplinary collaborations focused on harnessing the power of data. Located on the site of a former parking lot, the building centralizes resources that will advance the work of scholars across a wide variety of fields, making the tools and concepts of data analysis and AI more accessible to the Penn community.

Amy Gutmann Hall is the first mass timber building in Philadelphia, and, at six stories tall and 116,000 square feet, one of the largest mass timber structures on the East Coast. The cutting-edge system significantly reduces the building’s carbon footprint – by 52% relative to concrete, and 41% relative to steel – and reinforces its identity as a beacon of innovation. The design connects occupants, who work in a digital realm, back to the natural world by maximizing views and daylight, integrating ecological environments into interior spaces, and incorporating sensory stimuli that encourage collaboration and comfort.

The facility houses three floors of teaching labs, active learning classrooms, and collaboration spaces, and three floors of research centers. The ground floor serves as a home base for data science and AI programming, with a gracious student commons and smaller cafe, a quiet reading room, collaboration spaces, and a large lecture hall. The two-story main entrance features a green wall, mass timber structure, natural and stained wood finishes, a balcony, and an intimate reading room. 

The design of the research centers on the top floors creates a dynamic sense of community that fosters creative collisions to support innovation. Teams are aggregated in large, flexible neighborhoods of 35-40 researchers that link to adjacent labs through shared collaboration zones. On the third floor, a data science and AI hub provides space for researchers from across campus and the private sector to gather, encouraging cross-pollination through programs and events. Open and inviting kitchenettes on the fourth level bring researchers together for informal, serendipitous conversations. A larger kitchen and break room, located on the sixth floor, serve the entire research community and host community events.