Annenberg construction delayed

Penn has given the old Hillel building a two-month reprieve.

Facilities officials have pushed back the demolition of the building and construction of the new facility for the Annenberg Public Policy Center to mid-May in order to minimize the impact on students during the school year.

Officials will first demolish the old Hillel building and then build the Center on the site, next to the ARCH building on 36th and Locust streets.

"We envisioned doing the demolition and site clearance earlier, and then constructing the building later on in the summer," said Frank Daly, Penn's managing director of design and construction. "We just combined the two projects because we realized it would be easier to get a bid for a single project."

He added that "it would have been difficult for students if we demolished the building in March because of all the noise, exhaust and barricades."

Though the design phase for the building took a month longer than planned, Daly said the building will still be completed by May of 2009.

Groups in surrounding buildings are also preparing for the construction and any disruption it may cause.

June Chu, director of the Pan-Asian American Community House in the ARCH building, said that, while her center is prepared for any noise issues, she doesn't expect any major problems because demolition will occur during the summer.

"Facilities did some construction and renovations on the ARCH building where we're housed to ensure that our overall building was structurally sound before they demolished the old Hillel building next door," she said.

To allow for student traffic during construction, officials will "construct a boardwalk on the 36th Street walk closer to the library," Daly said. "We will also fence off the construction area."

Currently located at 3535 Market St., the Public Policy Center serves as the research arm of the Annenberg School.

Susan Stranahan, spokeswoman for the Annenberg Public Policy Center, said the new facility will bring the Center closer to campus and contain "a lot of high-tech equipment and more laboratory space for researchers, in addition to being a stunning building and a beautiful piece of architecture."

The $22 million facility is being designed by architect Fumihiko Maki, an architect at Maki and Associates, a Tokyo-based design firm.

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