UPENN NBS

The Levin Neural and Behavioral Science Building aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration between the Departments of Biology and Psychology by combining research laboratories and classrooms into a shared home centered in the University of Pennsylvania’s Sciences Precinct.

Lighting strives to create connections by encouraging use of spaces where serendipitous interactions may occur, by crafting a unique and inspiring environment for scientific inquiry, and by establishing a collaborative and welcoming Precinct identity through expressive façade lighting. Like metaphorical neurons, backlit ceiling tiles express the Life Sciences program and allude to the dominant gesture of the façade scrim.

The iconic southern scrim casts dynamic sunlight patterns that invigorate interior transition and collaboration spaces while reducing solar gain by 50%. At night the façade becomes a beacon that invites the campus to share public collaboration spaces. This is achieved by uniformly illuminating interior vertical surfaces to create a consistent backdrop upon which the iconic branching structures are expressed in silhouette. The resulting nighttime expression anchors the Life Sciences Precinct with a bold and contemporary character becoming of a world-class institution.