Drexel University Opens Health Sciences Building

Drexel University opened the 460,000-sf Health Sciences Building in September of 2022 in Philadelphia. Developed and owned by Wexford Science+Technology and Ventas, the leased facility is strategically sited in the uCity Square innovation district. Consolidating teaching and research activities previously dispersed in separate locations throughout the city, the 12-story tower centralizes many of Drexel’s health-related programs and integrates them into the main university campus. Occupancy will proceed in phases with the College of Nursing and Health Professions beginning classes this fall, followed by the academic offerings of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies in January of 2023. The College of Medicine will relocate its M.D. program from the Queen Lane Campus in time for the fall 2023 term. 

Designed by Ballinger, the collaborative building provides interactive classrooms, seminar rooms, simulation suites, and labs for anatomy, physiotherapy, and clinical skills. The transformative development also includes wet research labs, virtual reality rooms, offices, flex spaces, and study areas. Featuring a high-performance envelope, the sustainably designed facility integrates advanced mechanical and electrical systems that aim to reduce energy usage by 40 percent and fossil fuel emissions by over 60 percent as compared to a conventional structure. Heat generated by occupants and equipment is used to pre-warm the clean outdoor air needed to maintain healthy interior environments. Turner Construction and Perryman Building & Construction Services began work on the project in July of 2020.