This state-of-the-art wet laboratory facility was designed by the internationally renowned architectural firm, Pei, Cobb, Freed and Partners and administered by the local architectural firm, Burt Hill Architects. It was built to accommodate Drexel University’s Research Program. The project scope included a new building designed by Pei Cobb Freed and Partners and a completely renovated Commonwealth Hall.

The Commonwealth Hall included removal and replacement of windows, brick facades, and MPE systems with new energy efficient systems.

The addition of an existing seven-story structure which houses new classrooms, laboratory spaces, administrative suites, lecture/auditorium rooms and a seven-story glass pyramid shape atrium was also constructed with energy efficiencies in mind. The new HVAC Systems included a heat recovery system for the building design with 100% outside return air. In addition, a Diurnal Ice Storage (DIS) Cooling Systems provided a more cost efficient solution by building ice during off-peak hours during the cooling season. Special attention to solar harvesting and shading was also a large part of the sustainable design and construction for this project.