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New College House at the University of Pennsylvania used its curtainwall as more than a weather barrier: the glazing helped turn a large residence into a daylight-filled campus gateway with shared spaces oriented toward people, landscape, and the public realm. The seven-story, 198,000-square-foot building opened for the 2016–17 academic year with 350 beds, and its envelope combined more than 39,000 square feet of curtainwall, more than 400 angled window units, operable vents, and custom exterior shades. Those elements let the design team balance Penn’s brick-and-limestone context with broad views, natural light, seasonal ventilation, and solar control. The project case study was published in 2016, so its product descriptions and sustainability status should be read as historical project information, not current product guidance or proof of final certification.
What was New College House, and why did its envelope matter?
New College House was a $127 million residence commissioned by the University of Pennsylvania and designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson in collaboration with the University. It occupies a prominent site bounded by Woodland Walk and 34th and Chestnut streets. Rather than treating the building as an isolated dormitory, the design used its edge-of-campus location, lifted lawn, and transparent common areas to make the residence part of the pedestrian experience.
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The case study in Building Enclosure describes a building that references nearby masonry while introducing substantially more glass in circulation and communal areas. That contrast was deliberate. Brick and limestone establish continuity with Penn’s historic surroundings; glazing brings daylight and visual links to the campus and public realm. The curtainwall therefore contributed to architectural identity, orientation, and social programming as well as enclosure.
University Architect David Hollenberg said the building’s design broke an enormous structure into “multiple integrated parts at human scale.” The envelope supported that strategy by varying transparency, frame depth, and window position instead of presenting one uninterrupted glass box.
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How was the curtainwall package assembled?
The documented glazing package combined Wausau Window and Wall Systems’ SuperWall curtainwall, 4250i-OS INvent Series fixed and projected windows, and ClearStory sun shades. National Glass & Metal installed more than 39,000 square feet of SuperWall in three frame depths: 4.75, 6.25, and 10.25 inches. Those different depths allowed the team to respond to changing wall conditions and architectural details across the residence.
Within the curtainwall, 4250-Z zero-sightline insert vents provided operability without introducing a visually prominent vent frame. The case study says the vents offered seasonal natural ventilation and the potential to reduce air-conditioning demand. “Potential” is important: the source describes a design intent and capability, not a measured energy result.
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The project also included 3,950 lineal feet of custom-engineered ClearStory shades. Their stated functions were to manage solar heat gain and visible-light transmittance while preserving exterior views and supporting daylight. In a residence with study rooms, lounges, circulation zones, and a dining café, that balance is practical: occupants need useful light and outlooks, but excessive sun can create glare and unwanted heat.
More than 400 offset INvent windows were set at angles to the red-brick and limestone façade. The source reports that each glass plane sat 1.25 inches back from the exterior face, while the aluminum frames incorporated a polyamide thermal barrier. These are project specifications reported in the 2016 case study, not a current recommendation for other buildings.
How did the glazing connect private rooms to shared life?
The residence organized single rooms into three- to six-person suites and added study areas, a media center, seminar rooms, communal spaces, a dining café, and an enclosed courtyard. The curtainwall was especially important where those shared uses met circulation routes and exterior space.
Glass in common areas admitted daylight deeper into the building and made movement through the residence more legible. A student walking between a suite, seminar room, and café could remain visually connected to the courtyard or campus rather than moving through a sequence of opaque corridors. That visibility can support informal encounters: people see activity before deciding to join it.
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Windows were not used identically everywhere. More open, transparent treatment suited communal and circulation spaces, while the masonry composition and offset units helped the building retain scale and privacy at the façade. The varied frame depths and angled projections also broke down long elevations into recognizable pieces, reinforcing Hollenberg’s description of multiple parts rather than one monolithic block.
What did the operable vents contribute?
The 4250-Z insert vents made portions of the curtainwall operable. According to the project report, the intent was seasonal natural ventilation and the possibility of reducing air-conditioning demand during favorable weather. Operable vents can also give occupants a direct connection to outdoor conditions, although the source does not provide operating schedules, control logic, indoor-air-quality measurements, or energy savings.
In a student residence, natural ventilation has to coexist with security, acoustics, rain control, and mechanical-system coordination. The zero-sightline format addressed the visual side of that coordination by keeping the vents integrated with the surrounding framing. The case study does not claim that every room operated naturally or that mechanical conditioning was eliminated; it describes vents as one component of a mixed-mode strategy.
How did the shades control sun without sacrificing views?
Exterior shades were custom-engineered in long runs totaling 3,950 lineal feet. Their job was not simply to darken rooms. The report says they managed solar heat gain and visible-light transmittance while preserving exterior views and supporting daylight.
That combination matters on a campus building. A fully shaded window can reduce heat and glare but make a room feel disconnected; an unprotected window can provide excellent views while producing uncomfortable brightness and cooling loads. By placing the shading system outside the glazing, the design addressed incoming solar energy before it passed through the glass. The source does not provide a modeled cooling reduction, glare index, or post-occupancy measurement, so the shades should be understood through their documented design role rather than a claimed performance ranking.
The shades also helped unify the façade. Because they were custom-engineered for the project, they could follow the building’s varied openings and maintain a consistent visual language across brick, limestone, and glass zones.
Why were the offset windows angled?
More than 400 INvent windows were offset and set at angles to the masonry façade. The documented 1.25-inch recess of the glass plane and the polyamide thermal barrier show that the detailing addressed both appearance and heat flow.
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An angled or offset opening changes how light, shadow, and reflection read from the sidewalk. It can create depth in a façade that would otherwise appear flat, helping a large residence relate to neighboring buildings. It also gives designers a way to vary the rhythm of windows without abandoning a regular structural system.
The thermal barrier in the aluminum frames was part of the project’s thermal detailing. It was intended to interrupt direct conductive paths through the frame, but the source supplies no whole-building U-values, condensation analysis, or field-test data. Those missing figures mean the case study supports an explanation of the detail, not a universal performance claim.
How did the envelope reinforce the building’s campus role?
New College House was the first new student residence on Penn’s campus since 1972, according to the project report. Its site at the edge of campus gave it a dual responsibility: it had to house students efficiently while also addressing pedestrians approaching from Woodland Walk and city streets.
The lifted lawn and transparent shared spaces helped make the building a pedestrian gateway. From outside, visible activity and daylight signaled that the residence participated in campus life. From inside, views toward paths and public space gave residents orientation and a sense of connection beyond their suites.
Masonry references kept that openness from becoming contextless. Red brick and limestone tied the building to Penn’s architectural vocabulary; glass concentrated where social exchange and movement benefited most from visual connection. The envelope thus operated as a zoning device: more solid where enclosure and privacy mattered, more transparent where community and orientation mattered.
What other sustainability measures were reported?
The 2016 case study lists green roofs, low-flow plumbing fixtures, high-efficiency lighting, and energy-recovery units alongside the glazing strategy. These measures formed a broader sustainability package rather than a claim that curtainwall alone delivered the project’s environmental performance.
At publication, the project was pursuing LEED Silver certification. The source does not establish whether certification was ultimately awarded, so it is inaccurate to present New College House as definitively LEED Silver on the basis of this article. The same caution applies to any current claim about the named systems, manufacturers, or suppliers: the report documents what was specified and installed for this project in the 2013–2016 construction period, not present-day availability.
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Who delivered the building envelope?
The project credits identify the University of Pennsylvania as owner and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson as architect, working with the University. INTECH Construction served as construction manager, and National Glass & Metal was the glazing contractor. Wausau Window and Wall Systems supplied the named glazing systems; PPG Solarban 70XL is listed as the glass fabricator; and Linetec provided thermal-improvement services and painted finishes.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallConstruction began in December 2013 and was substantially complete in February 2016. Zach Baron, senior project manager at INTECH, described the building’s skin as “incredibly complex” and said the window systems were among the last elements to go in. That sequencing is understandable: curtainwall and window installation depend on preceding structure, waterproofing interfaces, interior tolerances, and coordination among several trades.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What can other project teams learn from New College House?
Define transparency by program. Put the most generous glazing where daylight, orientation, and visible activity support the building’s purpose. Do not assume every room benefits from the same glass-to-wall ratio.
Coordinate operability early. Insert vents affect controls, insect protection, acoustics, rain management, maintenance, and mechanical design. Their value depends on how those systems work together, not merely on specifying an operable unit.
Use exterior shading as an integrated façade element. Shade geometry should be developed with window proportions, views, daylight targets, cleaning access, and structural attachments. Treating shades as late add-ons can undermine both appearance and performance.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDetail thermal continuity at every transition. Frame depth, recessed glass, thermal barriers, perimeter seals, and connections to masonry all influence comfort and durability. Product names alone do not describe a successful enclosure.
Plan for installation complexity. The New College House account shows that glazing may arrive late in a demanding sequence. Submittals, mockups, tolerances, access, and interface responsibility need to be resolved before the final installation phase.
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Keep certification claims precise. A project pursuing a rating is not the same as a project that has received it. Construction documentation should distinguish goals, modeled outcomes, and verified certification.
What is the central lesson of the case study?
New College House demonstrates how a curtainwall can shape a residence’s social and civic character when it is designed as part of the architecture rather than treated as a generic transparent panel. The combination of varied frame depths, angled offset windows, recessed glass, integrated vents, and custom shades allowed the project to connect students with daylight, views, courtyard activity, and campus paths while maintaining a masonry-based identity.
The evidence supports a design reading, not a product leaderboard. The 2016 source gives documented quantities and attributed intentions, but it does not provide independent comparative testing, current supplier information, final LEED results, or post-occupancy energy data. Its lasting value is the way it shows envelope decisions tied to program, place, and scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did New College House open?
The residence opened for the University of Pennsylvania’s 2016–17 academic year. Construction began in December 2013 and the project was substantially complete by February 2016, according to the project case study.
How many students could New College House house?
The building was reported as a 350-bed residence. Its rooms were arranged in suites for three to six people, supported by shared study, seminar, media, dining, and courtyard spaces.
Did New College House receive LEED Silver certification?
The 2016 report says the project was pursuing LEED Silver certification at the time of publication. It does not document the final certification decision, so the outcome cannot be confirmed from that source.
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Are the curtainwall systems described in the case study available for a new project today?
The article records systems specified for a 2013–2016 project, but it does not verify current product catalogs, suppliers, or availability. A contemporary project would need current manufacturer documentation and a new performance review.
