(215) 487-0400
Daniel McCoubrey, president and principal of VSBA, is an expert in the planning, design, and implementation of academic and cultural projects. His work includes planning, programming, design of new facilities, and adaptive reuse of existing buildings. Dan was with Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates for 31 years and founded VBSA in 2012.
During several trips to Turkey between 1976 and 1981, Dan served as project architect and restoration consultant for the Kalenderhane Archeological Project. The work involved the excavation, architectural survey, and restoration of a twelfth-century Byzantine church in Istanbul to be reused as a mosque and museum. He was also the architect for the Aegean Dendrochronology Project, an architectural survey and chronological analysis of Byzantine and Islamic monuments in Greece. Between 1973 and 1976, Dan prepared HABS drawings of Cape May, NJ landmarks for the Cape May Survey Project; HABS drawings of Stenton, James Logan’s historic residence in Philadelphia; and drawings for Panorama of a Civilization, a series of Philadelphia Bicentennial Exhibitions.
Dan’s work includes:
Current and Recent
- City of Philadelphia, Heath Center Design, Principal, TBD [LEED Silver-targeted]
- City of Philadelphia, Heath Center Planning, Principal, 2019
- University of Pennsylvania, Sachs Arts Innovation Hub at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Principal, 2020 (est)
- Community College of Philadelphia, Music Facility Renovation, Principal, 2020 (est)
- Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Overmont House Graduate Housing Transformation, Principal, 2020 (est)
- St. Mary’s Episcopal Church Renovations, Principal-in-Charge, 2022 (est.)
- Narberth Avenue Bridge, Principal-in-Charge, TBD
Academic
- Princeton University, Fisher / Bendheim / Corwin Halls Renovation, Principal-in-Charge, 2018
- Princeton University, Collegiate Gothic Commons Complex Renovation and Adaptation, Project Team Member, 1985
- Curtis Institute of Music, Main Building Renovation Feasibility Study, Principal-in-Charge, 2015
- Curtis Institute of Music, Rock Resource Center Library Renovation, Principal-in-Charge, 2013
- Curtis Institute of Music, Lenfest Hall, Principal-in-Charge, 2011 [LEED Gold; Rouse Award for Excellence, Urban Land Institute Philadelphia, plus 7 other awards]
- University of Virginia, Term Contract for Planning and Programming, Principal-in-Charge, 2015
- University of Virginia, Term Contract, Contemplative Sciences Center Programming, Principal-in-Charge, 2014
- University of Virginia, University Commons Study, Project Director, 2006
- Harvard University, Radcliffe Institute, Fay House Renovation, Advising Principal, 2012 [LEED Gold]
- Harvard University, Radcliffe Institute, Schlesinger Library Renovation, Advising Principal, 2004 [LEED]
- Harvard University, Radcliffe Institute, Campus Plan, Advising Principal, 2002
- Harvard University Divinity School, Rockefeller Hall Renovation, Advising Principal, 2008 [LEED Gold]
- Harvard University, Dumbarton Oaks Library, New Library and Main House Renovation, Principal-in-Charge, 2007
- Harvard University, Memorial Hall, Loker Commons, and Sanders Theatre Restoration and Renovation, Project Manager and Designer, 1996 [AIA National Honor Award]
- Haverford College, Campus Master Plan, Advising Principal, 2009
- Villanova University, Campus Master Plan, Advising Principal, 2008
- Wellesley College, Consolidated Program Planning, Advising Principal, 2013
- Brown University, Planning for Campus Life, Project Director and Planner, 2004
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Main Group Master Plan Study, Project Director and Designer, 2003
- Dartmouth College, Baker/Berry Library, Project Director, 2002
- Dartmouth College, Rauner Special Collections Library, Project Manager and Designer, 2000 [AIA National Honor Award]
- Dartmouth College, Concept Plan, Project Director, 1988
- Swarthmore College, Tarble Student Center, Project Manager and Design Collaborator, 1985
Cultural, Civic, and Commercial
- Storm King Art Center, Conceptual Master Plan, Principal-in-Charge, 2014
- Hotel in Korea, Principal-in-Charge, 2013
- Allentown Art Museum, Auditorium Renovation Feasibility Study, Principal-in-Charge, 2012
- Allentown Art Museum, Expansion and Renovation, Principal-in-Charge, 2012
- Historical Society of Pennsylvania Renovation, Project Director and Designer, 1999
- Barnes Foundation Improvements, Project Director and Designer, 1996
- Gateway Visitor Center Study and Design, Project Manager, Planner, and Design Collaborator, 1996
- The Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, Project Manager, 1996
- Eastern State Penitentiary, Restoration Feasibility Study, 1994
- Philadelphia Zoo, George D. Widener Memorial Tree House and New Children’s Zoo, Project Manager, 1985
Health Care and Science - South Philadelphia Community Health and Literacy Center, Principal-in-Charge, 2016 [LEED Silver; Rouse Award for Excellence, Urban Land Institute Philadelphia]
- University of Michigan, Palmer Drive Life Sciences Complex, Project Manager and Design Collaborator, 2005
- University of Kentucky, Biomedical / Biological Sciences Research Building, Project Director, 2005
- University of Kentucky, Limestone-Virginia Science Precinct Planning, Project Director, 2001
- Yale School of Medicine, Anlyan Center for Medical Research and Education, Project Director and Designer, 2003
Additional Projects
- Pembroke North Condominiums, Principal-in-Charge, 2008 [LEED; Design Award, 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania; Leader in Sustainable Design and Development Award, Pennsylvania Resources Council]
EDUCATION
University of Pennsylvania, Master of Architecture, 1981
University of Pennsylvania, Bachelor of Arts, 1975
ARCHITECTURAL REGISTRATION
Pennsylvania, 1985; Massachusetts, 2006; Virginia, 2010; New Jersey, 2016; Delaware, pending
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional, U.S. Green Building Council, 2009
National Council of Architectural Registration Boards Certified, 2003
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND ACTIVITIES
Fellow, American Institute of Architects
AIA Pennsylvania Firm Leadership Forum, 2001-2003
Member, Philadelphia Historical Commission; Chair, Architectural Review Committee, since 1997
Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia
Association for Preservation Technology
National Trust for Historic Preservation
Carpenters Company of the City and County of Philadelphia
Athenaeum of Philadelphia
Pennsylvania Society of Architects
Community College of Philadelphia, Board of Advisors, 2016-present
Germantown Friends School Science Building, Building Committee 2007, 2008
Germantown Friends School, Facilities Planning Task Force, 2004, 2005
TEACHING
Drexel University Department of Architecture; Faculty Member since 1986
Guest Critic; University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania State University, Philadelphia University
Professional Practice presentations; University of Pennsylvania, Temple University
LECTURES AND PRESENTATIONS
“State of the City,” Symposium Panelist, AIA Center for Architecture, Philadelphia, 2018
“Healthy and Wise: How the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and City of Philadelphia Created a New Community Health and Literacy Center,” Presentation, National Healthcare Design Conference, Houston, 2016
“South Philadelphia Community Health and Literacy Center” Presentation and Tour, Design on the Delaware, Philadelphia, 2016
“Designing for Healthy Communities” Presentation and Tour, DesignPhiladelphia, Philadelphia, 2016
“CHOP and the City of Philadelphia’s South Philadelphia Community Health and Literacy Center” Presentation and Tour, AIA National Convention, Philadelphia, 2016
“All-In-One at the Curtis Institute of Music’s Lenfest Hall” Tour, AIA National Convention, Philadelphia, 2016
“South Philadelphia Community Health and Literacy Center” Construction Tour, AIA Philadelphia, Design on the Delaware, Philadelphia, 2015
“Mixing It Up: From Old Main to New Models, SCUP 49 National Conference, Pittsburg, 2014
“Living and Learning at Lenfest Hall,” SCUP Mid-Atlantic Conference, Philadelphia, 2014
“Doin’ It All: Creating a Multiuse Educational / Residential Facility on an Historic Urban Site,” Presentation and Tour, Curtis Institute’s Lenfest Hall, Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, Philadelphia, 2013
“A Jump in Scale: The Curtis Institute of Music Expands with the New Lenfest Hall,” 62nd Annual Meeting of ERAPPA, Philadelphia, 2012
“Defining Architectural Design Excellence,” AIA Committee on Design Conference, Columbus, 2012 (featured speaker and panelist)
“Lenfest Hall, Curtis Institute of Music,” AIA Regional Conference, Design on the Delaware, Philadelphia, 2011
“Lenfest Hall: Designed for Excellence” Presentation and Tour, Design Philadelphia, 2011
“Allentown Art Museum Addition and Renovation,” C.R.E.W. Allentown, 2011
“On the Boards: Curtis Institute of Music” Presentation and Construction Site Tour, Central Philadelphia Development Corporation, 2010
“Compatibility and Differentiation,” presentation at the Forum on Philadelphia Preservation Practice; AIA Philadelphia Historic Preservation Committee, Philadelphia, 2010
“Urban Agriculture,” presentation to the Academy Club, Philadelphia, 2009
“Preservation and Change at Two Philadelphia Institutions,” Amsterdam Lecture Series, Philadelphia City Institute Library, 2008
“Dumbarton Oaks Research Library,” presentation to the Latrobe Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians, Washington D.C. Chapter, 2006
“A Modernist Legacy: The Philadelphia School of the 1950s and 1960s,” Traditional Building Exhibition and Conference, Philadelphia, 2005
“Guild House, Best Practices,” AIA Regional Conference, Design on the Delaware, Philadelphia, 2005
“Common Bond: Tradition and Modernity in Philadelphia Brickwork, the Roy and Diana Vagelos Laboratories, University of Pennsylvania,” AIA Philadelphia, 2005
“Design Review in the Northern Liberties,” presentation to the Northern Liberties Urban Design and Development Committee, 2005
3rd Annual Law of Historic Preservation Conference, Panel Member, 2004
“The Anlyan Center for Medical Research and Education,” AIA Regional Conference, Design on the Delaware, 2003
“Academic Research Laboratories: From the Outside In and the Inside Out,” SEFA Annual Spring Conference, 2002
“Non-traditional Learning Spaces: Taking a Campus-Wide Approach,” Tradeline College, University and Medical School Conference, San Diego, 2001
AIA 2000, National Convention, Workshop and Tour: The University of Pennsylvania
“Transforming Historic Buildings and Precincts into New Campus Centers” Presentation, Society for College and University Planning, 2000
EXHIBITION CONTRIBUTIONS
Out of the Ordinary, 40 years of built and unbuilt architectural projects by VSBA, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA, 2001
Venturi Scott Brown and Associates: Architecture and Decorative Arts, National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan, 1991
Drawing Toward Building: Philadelphia Architectural Graphics 1732-1986, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, 1986-87
Panorama of a Civilization, Philadelphia Bicentennial Exhibitions in various locations, Philadelphia, 1976
PUBLICATION CONTRIBUTIONS
Kalenderhane in Istanbul: The Buildings, Their History, Architecture, and Decoration, by C.L. Striker and Dogan Kuban, Von Zabern, 1997
The Myrelaion in Istanbul, by C.L. Striker, Princeton, 1981
Dendrochronology and the Architectural History of the Church of the Holy Apostles in Thessaloniki, by C.L. Striker and Peter Kuniholm, Architectura, 1990
Dendrochronological Investigations in the Aegean and Neighboring Regions, by Peter Kuniholm and C.L. Striker, Journal of Field Archeology, 1987
Cape May, Queen of the Seaside Resorts, by George Thomas and Carl Doebley, Art Alliance Press, 1976
The Cape May Handbook, by Hugh McCauley and Carolyn Pitts, Athenaeum of Philadelphia, 1977
AWARDS
2008 Public Service Award for Preservation in the Public Interest, Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia
Pennwalt Competition Winner, 1983
Lewis E. Dales Traveling Fellowship, 1977