The Study at University City

The design for the Study at University City, a boutique hotel at the crossroads between Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania in West Philadelphia, grows from a sense of place and connectivity to the unique, vibrant and progressive spirit of Philadelphia’s University City.  The building is organized as a simple podium and tower.  

To enhance the connection at the street level, the podium is divided into three distinct ‘pavilions’, each housing one of the hotel’s three major public spaces – the ‘living room’, restaurant and retail space – further relating these spaces to the scale of the pedestrian. The hotel’s private guest rooms are housed in the tower, slightly rotated to create expansive views.
The two elements are separated by a highly transparent level of meeting spaces set back from the rotated tower above.