This was also enabled by the choice of the baguette form over something more solid, both literally and figuratively, lightening the facade’s material. The folding and rippling of the terra-cotta was augmented by its interaction with daylight, creating the veiling effect. The design team paid close attention to how light played off of the terracotta, staying true to the early-stage concept of a light-veiled form that had been shaping the building’s design. Terra-cotta provided a solution in its “sense of masonry and solidity” without being brick. Given the existing brickwork on Penn’s campus, constructing another brick facade would have been like “bringing one too many bricks to the party,” said Brockman. The veiling effect of the terra-cotta provides privacy while keeping the facade consistent. Working with mock-ups in the parking lot next to the building, the design team was able to test how different colors of terra-cotta looked against the brick on the townhouses. The townhouses contained two types of brick: Roman-sized iron spot brick and a more typical orange-red brick that is common throughout Philadelphia. The effect is a geometrically consistent facade shaped by “baguettes” manufactured by Shildan, with a shape that makes the terra-cotta appear to be arrayed in long, thin strips rather than panels, with a color that reflects the brick of the townhouses without attempting to copy them. The building is wrapped in terra-cotta, which covers the entire facade save the windows and entryways. The terra-cotta baguettes create a folding and rippling effect while forming a continuous geometry across the facade. ![]() Thermally broken aluminum windows on upper floors allow guests views of the terrace while providing ample privacy. Floor-to-ceiling windows open the ground floor to the terrace, with sliding glass doors allowing the building to be opened to the terrace during events, “maintaining the circulation, but using architecture to make it a little bit more graceful,” said Brockman. The second floor contains meeting rooms, the office of the president of the Board of Trustees, and additional office spaces, while the upper two floors are reserved for guest spaces. The addition rises four floors, with a ground floor terrace serving as the building’s new entryway and hosting the main public spaces, including a lobby and large multipurpose room. The addition contains a new accessible entrance, and windows on the upper floors open view to the terrace. The load-bearing masonry walls were also kept-with one extended for a new egress-and bolstered by a steel frame with wood joists. Insulated glass units were installed without having to remove the original single-pane glass as the window sashes were amply deep, rendering the windows inoperable but increasing their performance. This included landscaping, which provided additional privacy to guests, and new window glazing. Working with a request from the president’s office, the design team sought to update the building to be presentable for a contemporary audience rather than attempt to restore it exactly to its original state. The existing townhouses were in need of significant work, requiring masonry repair, and work on facade details “ranging from plaster, to sheet metal, to carved wood,” explained Deborah Berke Partners partner Stephan Brockman. The brick of the Victorian townhouses intentionally contrasts with the terra-cotta of the addition. Additionally, as the existing buildings sat significantly above grade, accessibility was critical. ![]() Penn tasked Deborah Berke Partners with not simply mimicking the existing Victorian townhouses, or other historic campus architecture, as the university wanted the new building to meet high environmental standards, such as taking into account the building’s life cycle. Adjacent to the President’s House, the Meeting and Guesthouse will also serve the need to host high-level meetings with university administration, and to allow ample space to host guests of the President. Serving as a space to host important dignitaries and other special events, the Meeting and Guesthouse by Deborah Berke Partners was built as an addition to two Victorian townhouses designed by Frisbey Jones. With much of its campus shaped by eclectic historical architecture, the University of Pennsylvania sought an updated look for its new Meeting and Guesthouse.
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