The Kelly Writer’s House at the University of Pennsylvania is a historic residential structure that serves as the home of the active writing center and as an incubator for UPenn students and the greater Philadelphia community.
Kelly Writer’s House decided that in order to more effectively accommodate its members and serve its mission, the first floor meeting area known as the Arts Café needed to expand. To stay within budget and adhere to historic guidelines for the building, this was accomplished by enclosing the front porch and creating additional mechanical space in the basement. Engineers designed a series of simple and elegant solutions for the historic structure to allow for the expansion. The temporary shoring of the existing porch’s roof supported the second floor while allowing for the removal of the rest of the front porch, first floor bay window, and excavation of the basement. Once the new basement walls were constructed, the masonry-bearing wall in the basement and side portions of the first floor masonry-bearing walls were removed and the front porch framing was re-supported down onto the new concrete basement foundation walls.

The Kelly Writer’s House at the University of Pennsylvania is a historic residential structure that serves as the home of the active writing center and as an incubator for UPenn students and the greater Philadelphia community.
Kelly Writer’s House decided that in order to more effectively accommodate its members and serve its mission, the first floor meeting area known as the Arts Café needed to expand. To stay within budget and adhere to historic guidelines for the building, this was accomplished by enclosing the front porch and creating additional mechanical space in the basement. Engineers designed a series of simple and elegant solutions for the historic structure to allow for the expansion. The temporary shoring of the existing porch’s roof supported the second floor while allowing for the removal of the rest of the front porch, first floor bay window, and excavation of the basement. Once the new basement walls were constructed, the masonry-bearing wall in the basement and side portions of the first floor masonry-bearing walls were removed and the front porch framing was re-supported down onto the new concrete basement foundation walls.

CLIENT: DIGSAU
LOCATION: Philadelphia, PA

TYPE: Academic, SERVICES: Renovation, MATERIALS: SUSTAINABILITY: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Completed project photography ©HalkinMason