The 17-story, 102,000 sq-ft Millennium Hall at Drexel University signifies the university’s commitment to design excellence and creating a vibrant campus.
The $35 million building is rotated around a central core. The outer perimeter of the student residence hall rotates 10 inches in opposite directions from floor to floor. The façade also slopes outwards and inwards on the same elevation on both sides of the building.
To achieve this look and make the building structurally sound, INTECH of Philadelphia paid close attention to the erection procedures and connection details on each panel of the glass curtain wall (no panels were rejected or reworked during the construction process).
Owner: Drexel University, Philadelphia
General Contractor: INTECH Construction Inc., Philadelphia
Architect: Erdy McHenry Architecture, Philadelphia
Engineers: AKF Engineers, Philadelphia; The Harman Group, Philadelphia
Subcontractors: Anmar Electric, Feasterville, Pa.; Berlin Steel Construction Company, Malvern, Pa.; Carson Concrete Corporation, Boothwyn, Pa.; Colory Metal and Glass, Inc., Bensalem, Pa.; Herman Goldner Company, Inc., Philadelphia; Novinger’s Group, Inc., Middletown, Pa.; Philadelphia D&M, Inc., Plymouth Meeting, Pa.; ThyssenKrupp Elevator, King of Prussia, Pa.; Mayfield Site Contractors, Inc., King of Prussia, Pa.
The rotated look also created design complications. Because the outside ring of the building did not match, HVAC and plumbing systems were put in the building core. Bathrooms were placed in the central core, too.
