ABA designed the Weigle Information Commons in the Van-Pelt Dietrich Library, the University’s main Library, to offer students an innovative, technology-rich venue for collaborative study and learning. With seating for 200 students, the 7,000 sf Commons provides group study settings ranging from private study rooms, to café-like booths, to flexible open spaces. A digital media lab provides training and equipment for video, audio, imaging, and web publishing design, while a 25-seat seminar room is a setting for students to practice their presentation skills.
The client was a collaborative University group representing the School of Arts and Sciences, the Office of the Provost, and the University Library. The project was the first in a series of such spaces distributed on the Penn campus and was featured in the May 2006 issue of Library Journal.