Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

The historic Silverman Hall and its Classrooms were fully renovated by Voith & Mactavish Architects on behalf of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, transforming into the highest-performing teaching spaces in the entire university.

The project was awarded the 2021 American Prize for Architecture from The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

For many years, the entirety of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School was housed in one building: Silverman Hall, designed by Cope and Stewardson in 1900. 

Over the next years, Penn Law’s footprint expanded significantly into three new, contiguous buildings contained within the boundaries of its city block. 

A comprehensive plan completed by the submitting firm in 2005 accomplished goals like creating more office spaces, clarifying internal circulation, and maintaining Penn’s high level of collegiality and student/faculty engagement, all while staying within their existing landlocked urban footprint. 

While the plan addressed all of Penn Law’s facilities, the most significant work took place within Silverman Hall. 

Ad hoc alterations made since its construction had become noticeable in both experience and aesthetics, and Penn Law sought to recapture the building’s original grandeur –a theme supported by students during programming– while improving its teaching spaces and offering more opportunities for students to collaborate informally. 

This was most important in spaces like the three classrooms that were carved from the original second-floor Reading Rooms, designed originally to function as large, open volumes lit by expansive windows on multiple sides. 

That natural light had become a detriment in the age of whiteboards and projection screens, so the classrooms were often curtained and dark. 

Acoustically, students had trouble hearing their fellow students which stifled class discussions. 

The fixed seating offered limited accessible options, and its position relative to the doors meant anyone coming or going had to cross in front of the teaching wall.

During the most recent phase of work, these three classrooms were completely gutted and transformed into what have been called some of the highest-performing teaching spaces in the entire university. 

The teaching walls were repositioned and outfitted with free-standing LED arrays that are not susceptible to glare. 

Certain sections of ceiling plaster were replaced with acoustical plaster. 

AV/IT systems were installed to enable classes to be recorded – a tool that has proven especially useful as Penn Law has adapted to the pandemic. 

One room was outfitted with a deep U-shaped tiered fixed-seating configuration while another was given a fixed seating tiers in a shallower curve; both are optimized for specific class types. 

The room closest to Penn Law’s conference center has a flat floor with moveable furniture that can be adapted for special projects like a moot court – or, as was the case shortly after completion, converted into an elegant venue for special receptions. 

The restored plaster, highlighted with new lighting and sensitive new color palettes, is celebrated for its design and craftsmanship. 

The approach to those classrooms is representative of the work throughout Silverman Hall, where the design team sought to maximize the programmatic function of every single inch while simultaneously restoring the character of a legitimately significant building. 

But for both the design team and the school, it is the impact on students and faculty that can be considered the most important measure of success. 

The response has been tremendous: they feel proud of their surroundings in a way that is helping them connect with Penn Law’s heritage as one of the oldest law schools in the country. 

Project: Carey Law School Silverman Hall Classrooms
Architects: Voith & Mactavish Architects
Original Architects: Cope and Stewardson (1900)
Client: University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Contractor: Wolfe Scott Associates
Photographers: Tom Arban Photography