July 30, 2014

Volver Restaurant Debuts at Kimmel Center

The new Volver restaurant, in the space of the former gift shop, accomplishes goals of the Master Plan for the Kimmel Center by engaging with the activity at street level via a transparent wall. © Barry Halkin

Renovation work at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in the heart of Philadelphia's cultural district is nearing completion, and Volver restaurant, operated by chef Jose Garces, has recently opened. KieranTimberlake is responsible for designing the new space, with Marguerite Rodgers leading interior design for the restaurant.  
 
The new Volver restaurant is located at the site of the former gift shop. Entered directly from the street or from within the Kimmel Center, the dining room and bar face Spruce Street, with fully glass walls extending into the sidewalk to engage the streetscape and enliven the presence of the building. With interiors by the designers for nationally-acclaimed restaurants Fork, Lacroix, Striped Bass, and XIX, it is an inviting, urbane space that incorporates bespoke furnishings, cabinetry, and artwork by local craftspeople to create the intricately detailed atmosphere that Marguerite Rodgers is known for.

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July 18, 2014

KieranTimberlake Wins Brown Engineering Project

KieranTimberlake will design a new engineering building just west of the Barus and Holley Building (shown here), the current home to Brown's School of Engineering. © Mike Cohea/Brown University

It was announced today that KieranTimberlake has been selected to design a new building for the expanding School of Engineering at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The building will include cutting-edge laboratory facilities as well as spaces for cross-disciplinary collaboration. 
 
Read more about this project on the Brown University website.

July 08, 2014

Learning from Levine

Levine Hall’s curtainwall glazing, visible from 34th Street south of Walnut Street, reflects adjacent buildings and seasonal variations—a nod to the University’s historic context and changing environment. © Barry Halkin

As we celebrate our 30th year in practice, we revisit some of our past works to see how they have matured and uncover what we can learn from them today. 
 
By Fátima Olivieri 
Completed in 2003 as part of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, the Melvin J. and Claire Levine Hall is a 48,000 square-foot addition that adjoins two historic structures, the Graduate Research Wing of the Moore School and the Towne Building. This new structure was built as a home for the Department of Computer and Information Science, providing much-needed faculty offices, labs, classrooms, and student amenities such as the Wu and Chen Auditorium, Weiss Tech House, and a café.  
 
With Levine Hall, the university wanted to amplify the work of the School of Engineering and demonstrate its pioneering spirit through architecture. KieranTimberlake proposed a narrow, 6-story, bridge-like addition that would connect the existing buildings and minimize the footprint at street level. Expansive glass curtainwalls were used as the primary facades to make the activities inside the building visible to all and to maximize light and view on a dense urban site.

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