The Pavilion

We are creating an innovative hospital facility that will support Penn's world-renowned researchers, clinicians, and faculty. The PennFIRST team — comprised of the global healthcare design expertise of HDR, the international design talent of Foster+Partners, and the innovative engineering design capabilities of BR+A and Southland Industries, combined with the construction management expertise of L.F. Driscoll and Balfour Beatty— is planning and designing this new inpatient hospital at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania on the site known previously as Penn Tower. It is our goal to develop the most innovative facility that offers improved healthcare delivery for generations to come.

The Pavilion will house 500 private patient rooms and 47 operating rooms in a 1.5 million square foot, 17-story facility across from the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania and adjacent to the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine.

Distinguishing features of The Pavilion include:

• An adaptable room concept through which patient rooms are equipped to flex between an intensive care unit set-up, if needed, and a standard room as patients recover, or as the patient population and caregiving needs change in the coming years. Each spacious room will include a private bath and a comfortable area for family members and caregivers to stay close by.
• A seamless flow of operations – from the emergency department through hybrid operating rooms used for both surgeries and high-tech interventional procedures through recovery and discharge – enhanced by technology and the latest research on how to facilitate and improve care team collaboration.
• Telemedicine functionality that allows remote monitoring and consultations, as well as technology to link patients to their friends and families at all times. In-room technology will strengthen communication between patients, families, and care teams.
• An eco-friendly construction, design and operations plan that fortifies Penn’s commitment to the environment, through pursuit of LEED certification, and innovations like the re-use of water, 100 percent outside air, and park-like, outdoor green space for patients, families and staff.

The Pavilion will be located at 1 Convention Avenue in Philadelphia, PA. It will replace the Penn Tower building which was demolished in 2015-2016.

Penn Tower Demolition

The demolition of Penn Tower began in summer 2015 and completed in summer of 2016. During the 12 months of demolition, Penn Medicine implemented an extensive recycling program in conjunction with the contractor overseeing the project to:

• separate steel from concrete
• crush concrete, remove aluminum, copper and other metals from general debris
• minimize the amount of debris going to a landfill. 

We estimated that upwards of 85% of the demolition materials were diverted from landfills and recycled.