Strategic Improvements: 3 Parkway

Updated 4.4.13. Drexel is currently transforming the second floor of 3 Parkway (a building at 16th Street and the Ben Franklin Parkway) into a suite of various therapy rooms and offices for its College of Nursing and Health Professions. The university, which leases space in the 3 Parkway building, is in the process of transitioning the College of Nursing and Health Professions from its primary location at 15th and Race Streets to the 3 Parkway site. Several classrooms and study areas are already up and running (completed during Summer 2011 and Summer 2012).

The space in the photo below will soon be home to the College of Nursing’s gait lab:

The photo below depicts a future entrance and reception room:

Art therapy will be one of the services offered in the newly-renovated space, along with marriage therapy, music therapy and dance therapy, among other services. Below is an art therapy room:

Below is a photo of a 3 Parkway classroom that features a scale-up learning environment where students sit in groups of nine for a more collaborative educational experience:

Most of the classrooms have been outfitted with rolling chairs and tables to allow for flexible learning spaces:

A bright student lounge provides space for students to study, eat and socialize:

Strategic Improvements: Academy of Natural Sciences

Updated 4.4.13. Drexel’s Academy of Natural Sciences is undergoing renovations to create specimen storage, classroom and laboratory space for Academy researchers as well as its Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES) students.

The classroom below was once a bird exhibit. This fall, the space will open to BEES students.

New sliding storage spaces for museum specimens are depicted in the image below. The new units were accompanied by an updated HVAC system to ensure the conservation of the specimens.

The room below is being furnished with lab equipment that was recently moved from a lab on Drexel’s main campus.

 

 

Soon, the lab room above will closely resemble the lab featured in the photos below.

 

 

Strategic Improvements: Creese Courtyard

Updated 4.1.13. Chestnut Square is not the only project on Chestnut Street between 32nd and 33rd Streets that will be opening in Fall 2013! Creese Courtyard, located outside between the Creese Student Center and Macalister Hall, will be activated this autumn as well. In addition to serving as a connection between the two aforementioned buildings, the space will feature an entrance to the dining hall below.

The following rendering depicts a design currently in discussion for the courtyard. This design highlights the dining hall entrance, shown as two sets of stairs covered by a stunning glass cylinder. Take a look:

V. 2012 – 2017 Master Plan Current Issues: 14. Perelman Plaza

 

Updated 3.28.13. This summer, construction will begin on Perelman Plaza, an outdoor gathering space located at the center of Drexel’s campus. In addition to serving as a vibrant community hub where students, faculty and staff can eat, socialize, study and meet, Perelman Plaza will connect the future LeBow College of Business Building and Chestnut Square (mixed-use retail/residential development).

The plans and renderings below show a possible design for the area. (Note: the image with the blue arrows and shapes depicts potential sites for storm water retention.)

Strategic Improvements: The Drexel University Boathouse (Boathouse #6)

Updated 3.25.13. Recently, Drexel assumed the responsibility of facilities manager at its boathouse, Boathouse #6 or Bachelors Barge Club. In 2009, Drexel’s rowing teams began rowing out of the boathouse, which happens to be the oldest rowing club in the country.

The photos below show some of the most recent boathouse improvements which include new tile on the shower floors, new epoxy floors in the restroom, patched and cleaned walls in the main stairwell and corridor, and new stair treads. Outside, improvements consist of a newly-cleaned boat storage area with a gravel “floor,” as well as an updated main dock with pressure treated planks.

V. 2012 – 2017 Master Plan Current Issues: 13. Nesbitt Hall Renovations

Updated 3.20.13. Floors three through seven of Nesbitt Hall are in the process of being dismantled prior to the construction that will transform the building into a new home for Drexel’s School of Public Health. While the aforementioned floors undergo renovations, Nesbitt Hall’s first two floors will remain open to serve as swing space.

From the photos below, you can see that certain floors are further along in the dismantling process (the higher floors are worked on first to keep noise on the lower floors to a minimum). Additionally, please note that the words “out” and “demo” on some of the walls signify future demolition.

V. 2012 – 2017 Master Plan Current Issues: 12. LeBow Engineering Center – Microfabrication Lab

Updated 5.13.13. The renovation of the LeBow Engineering Center’s Microfabrication Lab is now in full swing. The space has been demoed and construction will begin shortly.

Updated 3.20.13. The Microfabrication Lab at Drexel’s LeBow Engineering Center will soon undergo construction that will result in a newly-updated, state-of-the-art lab containing Class 100 to Class 1000 cleanrooms.

Below are photos of the Microfabrication Lab prior to construction: