University of Pennsylvania Celebrates Topping Off of 6-Story Mass Timber Hall

The University of Pennsylvania is celebrating the topping off of its Amy Gutman Hall and the completion of the building’s frame for the new School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Designed by Lake|Flato and KSS Architects, Amy Gutman Hall is currently under construction led by Gibane Building Company and scheduled for completion in the summer of 2024.

The 116,000-square-foot, 6-story building required 82 truckloads of mass timber. Mass timber was selected because it is more sustainable and efficient than steel or concrete. When completed, the facility will be Philadelphia’s tallest new mass timber structure.

Vijay Kumar, Penn Engineering’s Nemirovsky Family Dean, said that the new building will be a hub for data science on campus and for the Philadelphia community. Amy Gutman Hall will embolden interdisciplinary work in a field that is “transforming all facets of engineering education, and of course research and innovation.”