VSBA is Hiring Project Architects
July 27th, 2022
VSBA seeks project architects to participate in the design of college and university buildings, cultural facilities, health care institutions, and other project types in our diverse portfolio of architectural and planning work.
See our full job listing and apply!:
https://www.vsba.com/employment/
VSBA Creates Light and Life at Penn’s Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
May 24th, 2022
VSBA has just completed renovations at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts to create a home for the new Sachs Program for Arts Innovation.
Formerly an underused space without much comfort or amenity, the new Arts Lounge is now a wonderful place to view art, attend a concert, study, practice a play, or just hang out.
Our main challenges were: how can we overcome the building’s physical limitations to promote its activities and identity — and accomplish this through very strategic changes on a tight budget?
VSBA Completes PCOM’s Meta Christy House Residence Hall
December 2nd, 2021
VSBA recently completed the transformation of this 1970s apartment tower into PCOM’s first campus residence.
The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) teaches graduate students holistic approaches to medicine, “treating people, not just symptoms.” Lacking on-campus housing, PCOM was a commuter school with limited campus life accommodations. So when Overmont House — a 1971 apartment building for elderly residents at the edge of PCOM’s campus — became available, the College purchased the building to convert it into the campus’s first residential hall.
VSBA Makes Wonderful Music at the Community College of Philadelphia
October 28th, 2021
VSBA Architects & Planners are delighted to announce we’ve completed two new music teaching spaces at the Community College of Philadelphia. Working within the context of the College’s historic main building, we completely transformed both live practice and control rooms.
Pete Exley on Venturi, Scott Brown
August 4th, 2021
Peter Exley, AIA President and formerly with Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, speaks beautifully about Denise and Bob’s influence and fostering equity in our practice:
VSBA in Topos Magazine
January 4th, 2021
Thank you so much to Topos Magazine of Munich for featuring Denise, Dan, and Seth — “Talents and Masterminds”! — in their latest issue:
Working Through The Coronavirus
March 16th, 2020
As a staff, VSBA Architects & Planners has been discussing together the impact of the coronavirus on how we work. We’re been talking about the right things to do, for our staff as well as our clients and collaborators.
Whether we work from home or the office, we remain focused on getting our work done — as diligently and creatively as ever. None of us know how long this will last, or the breadth of its impacts, but we’re going to see it through in a positive way. Please feel free to contact us like you normally would by phone or via email.
Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home! And all the best to you and your families.
A Celebration of Bob
May 24th, 2019
At last — A CELEBRATION OF ROBERT VENTURI at the University of Pennsylvania!
We’ll spend an afternoon talking about Bob’s brilliance, kindness, wit, and spirit. You’re invited to join Bob’s family, friends, and colleagues to remember how much he shaped our lives.
The event is public, space is very limited, and registration is required. See you there!
https://www.design.upenn.edu/events-exhibitions-0/events/celebration-robert-venturi
“Your Guide” to Denise!
April 1st, 2019
Introducing Your Guide to Downtown Denise Scott Brown!
Published in conjunction with a life-spanning retrospective at the Architekturzentrum Wien (Vienna), Your Guide… is a travel companion to the world of Denise Scott Brown. It’s a riot of photos and stories, a timeline, a reference glossary, and a major never-before-published interview. The book was written and designed by Jeremy Eric Tenenbaum, who also designed the exhibition in conjunction with the museum.
Your Guide… is available via publishers Park Books, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and many other retailers.
Grab copies now!
Sainsbury Wing Wins AIA 25 Year Award
January 9th, 2019
Congratulations to the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery in London for winning the AIA’s Twenty-Five Year Award! The Sainsbury Wing was completed in 1991 by Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, their design team, and associated architect Sheppard Robson.
As the AIA’s announcement says, “the Sainsbury Wing demonstrates the architects’ sophisticated but ironic acknowledgement of modern conditions while thoroughly exploring classical architecture’s conventions.”
Also, “In 2018, Historic England, the government arm charged with protecting England’s historic treasures, bestowed Grade I status on the wing, propelling it into the ranks of the country’s most architecturally significant buildings.”
Link to: AIA Announcement
Viva Bob Venturi
September 19th, 2018
Robert Venturi, our founder and collaborator and mentor and friend, has died. The family has released this statement:
Last night, Robert Venturi passed away peacefully at home after a brief illness. He was been surrounded by his wife and partner Denise Scott Brown and his son Jim Venturi. He was 93.
The family is planning to have a memorial service to celebrate Venturi’s life and this will be announced in the coming weeks.
All of us at VSBA are heartbroken. Viva Bob.
Kathleen Fights Floods
August 30th, 2018
VSBA architect Kathleen Scanlon recently helped to fight flooding in Bradford County, PA. Here’s her story:
“After the extraordinary hurricane season of 2017, I decided I needed to find out what I could do to use my knowledge and skills to help people and communities affected by natural disasters. I found the AIA New York’s training session for the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services’s (Cal OES) Safety Assessment Program. It was created to train architects, engineers and other certified building professionals to assist local governments in the aftermath of a disaster. I completed the program in November 2017.
On August 21, Bradford County, Pennsylvania, experienced flash flooding that significantly damaged structures and roadways. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) requested support from the Pennsylvania Structural Engineers Emergency Response. PEMA requested Cal OES SAP-trained volunteers for a two day deployment to assist in assessing damages. I was ready to help and finally do more than watch the news and hope for the best.
Last week I reported to the Bradford County Emergency Operation Center along with a structural engineer from the Pittsburgh area and a civil engineer from the Harrisburg area. We assisted the local volunteers in recording the damages in the township of West Burlington and New Albany, PA.
The damage caused by the flooding of Towanda Creek was surprising. The Community Library in New Albany was swept off its foundation and into the street. Many roads and bridges were damaged, culverts were clogged with debris, and the roadbeds were undermined for significant distances. Volunteers measured and quantified portions of roads that would have to be rebuilt entirely. These townships will be recovering for some time to come.”
Planning for Living at PCOM
August 8th, 2018
VSBA has begun an exciting new project with the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine!
We’re planning for the creation of the College’s first on-campus residence — a major milestone in PCOM’s evolution. To accomplish this, we’ll help to transform an early 1970s apartment building at the campus’s edge into a modern facility with revamped interiors, enhanced amenities, and a bold new identity.
Creating the New Sachs Arts Innovation Hub at UPenn
June 28th, 2018
We’re delighted to announce that VSBA is now collaborating with the University of Pennsylvania to create a home for the recently created Sachs Arts Innovation Hub!
The SAIH is the result of a $15 million gift from Keith L. and Kathy Sachs — the largest gift for the arts ever made to the University. The program provides grants to teachers, creators, and presenters of the arts on campus.
The SAIH will be an important new component within the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. VSBA is exploring ways to integrate the SAIH while enhancing the Center inside and outside — creating friendly social spaces, new graphics and communication methods, and distinct expressions of identity.
VSBA Renovates Venturi, Scott Brown at Princeton
March 19th, 2018
VSBA is helping to transform Princeton University’s Fisher / Bendheim / Corwin complex — which Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates designed in 1990! Keep checking back to watch the renovation take shape. And for more info, head to VSBA’s project page.
3/19/18: Renovation of the lounge is really coming along!
3/19/18: Choosing an orange isn’t easy.
1/2/18: A recent trip to the millwork shop…
1/2/18: …where experts are crafting…
1/2/18: …custom components for interiors at Fisher / Bendheim / Corwin Hall.
12/8/17: Surgical interventions — preserving key historical features while refreshing other areas
12/8/17: The classroom above the lounge will get acoustical treatments and a sliding whiteboard system
11/9/17: The lounge
10/26/17: A hallway being prepared
10/26/17: A classroom before demolition
10/26/17: The classroom after demolition
Look What’s In Healthcare Design Magazine
December 11th, 2017
We’re so happy that Healthcare Design Magazine is featuring the South Philadelphia Community Health and Literacy Center!
Jennifer Jackson Salopek (@jsalopek) wrote a fantastic article describing the Center’s features and impacts. Thanks, Jennifer!
“What Was The Philadelphia School?”
September 20th, 2017
“What Was The Philadelphia School?” Find out at the Center / Architecture + Design in Philadelphia where this special exhibition highlights work by Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, VSBA Architects & Planners, and many other groundbreaking Philly designers. Check out beautiful models, photos, books, and texts. The show runs through September 28, 2017 — and it’s free!
