The two new buildings dramatically increase Wharton’s physical footprint and reshape Penn’s Philadelphia campus, providing dedicated real estate for areas that have experienced exponential interest and growth: entrepreneurship and analytics. The five-story Academic Research Building (above), near the corner of 37th and Spruce streets, centralizes Wharton’s business analytics research and education. The mixed-use space provides an ideal environment for instruction, teamwork, and research.

Located at 40th and Sansom streets, Tangen Hall brings university-wide entrepreneurship opportunities together under one roof. The seven-story building is designed to spark creativity and enable students to collaboratively pursue their ventures. Tangen Hall is made possible by the AKO Foundation, the charitable foundation established by Nicolai Tangen W92 and his wife, Katja.

The following images offer a glimpse into these spaces that are transforming how students learn, create, and connect, starting with views from the Academic Research Building.

The main lobby of the Academic Research Building, with a student sitting in a modern couch and another student walking down the lobby's centerpiece spiral staircase.
↑   Utility and Artistry

Thanks to support from Ezra Safra W94 WG97 and the Safra Family Foundation, the Moise Y. Safra Lobby offers an inviting main entrance to the Academic Research Building and a picturesque light-filled space in which students can meet, study, and socialize, with an energizing signature red wall in the foreground. The sculpted spiral Wallace and Elinor Clarfield Staircase connects students to the academic floors, where the building links with Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall.

 

Red brick living wall with framed vines in a lounge decorated with modern furniture.
↑   Natural Beauty

The Jackie Reses W92 and Matt Apfel L90 Atrium is a stunning two-story gathering place, conveniently located at the interior entrance to the newly renovated Undergraduate Division Suite. The Atrium’s living wall embodies Wharton’s commitment to best practices in sustainability and wellness.

 

A lounge in the Academic Research Building with floor-to-ceiling windows and modern, colorful furniture.
↑   Powerful Panorama 

Two dynamic Woodland Overlooks offer students areas ideal for collaboration on the first and second floors. Glass walls provide diagonal views above Woodland Walk, and vibrant furnishings for group meetings supplement nearby study rooms and phone rooms.

 

A modern classroom with whiteboards on multiple walls and clusters of moveable and reconfigurable tables and chairs.
↑   Flexible Learning

Two 72-seat Structured Active in-Class Learning (SAIL) classrooms differ from traditional classrooms. Fully equipped with technology, they provide adaptable space to encourage interaction and innovation, with chairs and tables on wheels for quick reconfiguration.

 

Entrepreneurship Starts Here

The exterior of Tangen Hall in the evening as seen from the street, with lights from within the building illuminating its floor-to-ceiling windows.

Tangen Hall (pictured above) is home to Venture Lab, the nucleus of entrepreneurship at the University and a partnership of the Wharton School, Penn Engineering, and the Stuart Weitzman School of Design. The building also houses signature programs across disciplines, including the Jay H. Baker Retailing Center, the Harris Family Alternative Investments Program, and the Stevens Center for Innovation in Finance. The colorful exterior facade offers intentional transparency and reflects the dynamism and movement taking place inside.

 

The foyer of Tangen Hall, featuring a wooden welcome desk and students moving throughout the space.
↑   Entryway to Innovation

From the breezy foyer, visitors can witness creativity at work in the Fabrication Studio.

 

Picture of students seated at long wooden tables in the Fabrication Studio in Tangen Hall.
↑   Where Bright Ideas Take Shape

The Fabrication Studio is an open 60-seat room that equips students with the resources to bring bold concepts from abstract to reality. Operated by Penn Engineering, the studio includes 3D printers, laser cutters, and other cutting-edge tools that enable prototyping of early products and incubation of new ideas.

 

A woman working in a workspace equipped with a table, chairs, and a television in Tangen Hall.
↑   A Separate Place

Team rooms give students a landing space in which to conduct focused work on projects.

 

Students taking in outside views, playing a guitar, working on a laptop, and more on Tangen Hall's rooftop terrace.
↑   New Perspective

The elegant rooftop terrace provided by John R. Young WG01, Andrew A. Weber WG04, and Hitesh Kumar WG05 offers views to the south and west. Complete with planters and festive lighting, this is an ideal spot for small pre- or post-event gatherings.

 

Students bringing their ideas to life in the Advanced Fabrication Lab in Tangen Hall.
↑   Rooms to Grow

Tangen Hall features a maker space of every type, with an inclusive and imaginative approach toward entrepreneurship. Along with areas such as the Retail Lab and the Food Innovation Lab, the Nathan Thatcher Ulrich ENG87 GEN89 GR90 Advanced Fabrication Lab boasts specialized equipment for students experienced in design. A major constituency for this lab: Integrated Product Design Master’s students, who guide and mentor members of the Venture Lab community.

 

Published as “A Campus Transformed” in the Fall/Winter 2022 issue of Wharton Magazine.