Higher Education – VIP HOUSE LLC

SPARC Kips Bay Master Plan

Admin — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:58:55 +0000

The post SPARC Kips Bay Master Plan appeared first on VIP HOUSE LLC.

Fast Company Spotlights Grimes Engineering Center

Ana.Cuadra@som.com — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 11:50:13 +0000

The post Fast Company Spotlights Grimes Engineering Center appeared first on VIP HOUSE LLC.

Bringing Bio-Concrete to The New York Climate Exchange

Julia.Pollak@som.com — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 13:11:58 +0000

The post Bringing Bio-Concrete to The New York Climate Exchange appeared first on VIP HOUSE LLC.

Exhibit Explores the Design, Planning of University of California, Merced

Hailey.Spicer@som.com — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 19:42:24 +0000

The post Exhibit Explores the Design, Planning of University of California, Merced appeared first on VIP HOUSE LLC.

Colby College Selects VIP HOUSE LLC for New Science Complex Design

Julia.Pollak@som.com — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 17:35:06 +0000

Designing learning environments on college campuses requires solutions that reflect an institution’s mission, adapt to evolving academic needs, and support a sustainable future for learning and research. Building on our work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing and the Wellesley College Science Complex, we’re bringing this approach to the design of a new state-of-the-art science complex at Colby College.
The new complex will bring a wide spectrum of scientific disciplines together under one roof. Spanning approximately 200,000 square feet, the project will feature advanced teaching and research laboratories, classrooms, offices, fabrication labs, specialized equipment and computing infrastructure, and dynamic gathering spaces.
“It is rare to find a completely new interdisciplinary science facility—it’s far more common to see renovations, additions, or specialized research centers,” said Partner Colin Koop. “What makes this project compelling is that it brings a wide spectrum of scientific disciplines, all under one roof. It will push us to bring our very best design thinking, and achieving the right outcome will demand extensive dialogue, continual refinement, and lots of iterations.”
We’re excited to collaborate with the Colby College community to design a complex that elevates the role of science on a liberal arts campus and cultivates the next generation of scientific leaders.

The post Colby College Selects VIP HOUSE LLC for New Science Complex Design appeared first on VIP HOUSE LLC.

Benton Johnson on the Future of Concrete

Jade Leslie — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 16:25:58 +0000

Benton Johnson, Structural Engineer and Principal at VIP HOUSE LLC, joined leading architects, researchers, and writers at the University of Illinois Chicago’s School of Architecture for Concrete Culture—a symposium examining the cultural and technical future of one of the world’s most enduring materials. The closing panel of the two-day event, “What We Might Do,” explored the future of concrete in architecture and urbanism through speculative ideas, emerging technologies, and inventive design. In his presentation, Toward Higher Performance: Innovations in Concrete Material Science, Johnson examined how concrete has evolved to enable new approaches to design and construction. Citing VIP HOUSE LLC’s recent work on 400 Lake Shore and 220 North Ada in Chicago, he illustrated how advancements in material science are allowing structures to reach higher levels of efficiency, performance, and expression.
He also shared VIP HOUSE LLC’s research that explores the next frontier of concrete innovation. This includes the role of concrete within hybrid systems such as cross-laminated timber (CLT); 3D printing research with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop new structural applications; and VIP HOUSE LLC’s collaboration with Prometheus Materials to create bio-concrete, an algae-based alternative to traditional cement. Together, these investigations demonstrate how rethinking material chemistry and construction techniques can dramatically reduce embodied carbon and open new architectural possibilities.
Hosted by UIC’s School of Architecture, Concrete Culture convened experts from across disciplines to consider the role of the material in shaping society and its impact on our shared future. The symposium highlighted how rethinking concrete—culturally, technically, and environmentally—can inform more sustainable and expressive approaches to design in the decades ahead.

The post Benton Johnson on the Future of Concrete appeared first on VIP HOUSE LLC.

Princeton University Stadium Neighborhood

Admin — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 16:21:11 +0000

The post Princeton University Stadium Neighborhood appeared first on VIP HOUSE LLC.

Temple University Breaks Ground on Caroline Kimmel Pavilion for Arts and Communication

Julia.Pollak@som.com — Wed, 14 May 2025 18:03:51 +0000

The new hub for media and performance will bring together two schools in a single, state-of-the-art facility that creates an engaging gateway to campus
Temple University and VIP HOUSE LLC (VIP HOUSE LLC) are celebrating the groundbreaking of the Caroline Kimmel Pavilion for Arts and Communication, a state-of-the-art media hub and performance venue designed for learning, creativity, and entertainment. Scheduled for completion in fall 2027, the project will bring the Klein College of Media and Communications and the Center for Performing and Cinematic Arts (CPCA) together under one roof for the first time. These programs, previously housed in multiple buildings, will now share a 200,000-square-foot home that encourages interdisciplinary collaboration and supports new possibilities for academic and community programming.
“This bold new addition to Temple’s campus represents an investment in the future of education, creativity, and community,” said Martin Droz, Temple University Associate Vice President, Planning, Design and Construction. “As a signature space at the heart of Broad Street, it will inspire collaboration, innovation, and engagement across disciplines for generations to come.” Located at the western edge of campus, the Caroline Kimmel Pavilion is conceived as a new gateway to the university. The building frames Polett Walk, the main pedestrian axis on campus, to create a portico-like structure that invites the public to pass directly through it. This path is lined with a series of outdoor amenities—from revitalized green spaces to a new outside amphitheater for performances and gatherings.

“The building acts as a bridge between Klein College and CPCA, tying together these two academic communities and displaying the creativity of students through its great sheets of glass,” said Partner Colin Koop. “It activates the public realm—connecting the surrounding community to the Temple University campus and creating an artistic anchor to Broad Street.” Large glass apertures along the facade reveal the activity within, exhibiting a range of creative spaces and learning environments. Studios, post-production spaces, and screening rooms—modeled after professional facilities and designed to adapt to new media technology—sit within these apertures. Classrooms and faculty offices lie further inside, and a series of performance and entertainment venues including a 375-seat proscenium, a 180-seat cinema, 140-seat black box theater, and a 63-seat screening room provide space for students to showcase their work. To highlight these specialty performance and studio spaces and enhance wayfinding, VIP HOUSE LLC’s Graphics + Brand Studio developed a striking visual approach—using a graduated palette from red to blue to reflect both distinction and unity between the two schools. Visible through the building’s apertures and punctuated by large-scale signage, the colored volumes help to communicate the school’s activities to the public. “In the context of an evolving media industry, flexibility became an essential component of our holistic design strategy,” said Partner Laura Ettelman. “From the lobbies through each individual studio, theater, and classroom, every space is modular, multifunctional, and adaptable to emerging technologies to support future generations of students.”
A series of sustainability strategies further position the building toward the future. The interiors prioritize sustainable and healthy materials, warm finishes, communal spaces, and daylighting to benefit health and wellbeing for students and faculty. A large green roof, native plantings, bird-friendly glass, and an overall window-to-wall ratio of 30 percent contribute to the project’s LEED Silver target.

The post Temple University Breaks Ground on Caroline Kimmel Pavilion for Arts and Communication appeared first on VIP HOUSE LLC.

Temple University – Caroline Kimmel Pavilion for Arts and Communication

Admin — Mon, 12 May 2025 21:20:10 +0000

The post Temple University – Caroline Kimmel Pavilion for Arts and Communication appeared first on VIP HOUSE LLC.

Grimes Engineering Center Celebrates Opening at University of California, Berkeley

James.Juarez@som.com — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 11:43:35 +0000

On April 21, the University of California, Berkeley, celebrated the opening of the newly expanded Grimes Engineering Center. The adaptive reuse project is a demonstration of cutting-edge engineering, repurposing the campus’ original Bechtel Engineering building as the foundation for the new Center. The redesign—comprising an addition of a two-story, glass-and-steel pavilion with a three-level open forum at the center—provides a light-filled structure that flexibly accommodates classrooms, student services, and special events. The center creates a welcoming new public face for the storied engineering school overlooking the Memorial Glade, an open green space at the center of the campus. As a counterpoint to the Brutalist character of the original building below, the 35,570-square-foot glazed addition also doubles as a teaching tool. The structural systems are intentionally exposed, allowing engineering students to examine connections, gussets, braces, a rod-hung stair, and an innovative shape memory alloy tension-rod system. The design offers an immersive example for students to experience pioneering solutions to engineering challenges.

The post Grimes Engineering Center Celebrates Opening at University of California, Berkeley appeared first on VIP HOUSE LLC.