Tour the Building

Jon M. Huntsman Hall
Facts at a Glance

News Release
The Wharton School's New Academic Center Combines Best of Technology, Traditional Classroom Instruction, Team Learning

 

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is now at home in the world's most advanced academic center for management education. The $139.9-million, 324,000 square-foot facility – named Jon M. Huntsman Hall after the Wharton alumnus, corporate leader, and philanthropist – opened in August, 2002. The building is located at 38th and Walnut Streets on the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia.

State-of-the-art Academic Building

  • 48 classrooms and 57 group study rooms all with capabilities for multimedia, audio videoconferencing, video production and editing, connectivity between group work stations and Internet access.
  • Four teaching labs.
  • Two study lounges; two social lounges.
  • 4,000 square-foot Forum that will be the center of undergraduate life and activity, accommodating up to 500 people for special events.
  • A Colloquium, located on the top floor, will host faculty research events. It features a main presentation room with seating for up to 200, as well as meeting rooms.
  • East Hall, a sky-lit meeting space with commanding views of both the academic core of Penn’s campus and of Center City, Philadelphia.
  • A 300-seat auditorium and foyer on the ground floor for large lectures, guest speaker series, major student and faculty conferences, as well as alumni events.

Planning

Since Spring 1995, more than 100 focus groups have been conducted, including those with faculty, students and administrators. In addition, several surveys were conducted by the administration and students. Among the issues addressed: access to campus, features in the new facility, technology needs, access to/interaction with faculty, relationships between graduate and undergraduate students, classroom design, time spent on campus, team space and security.

Funding

The building’s $139.9-million cost is being funded entirely by major gifts and pledges from alumni, corporations and friends. Jon Huntsman and his family have donated more than $50 million to the Wharton School and the University of Pennsylvania.

Architect

Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, PC, New York, designed the building. Other critically acclaimed projects by KPF within the field of education include new buildings at Oxford University and UCLA, as well as the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and Baruch College of the City University of New York. Additional works include the World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C., Capital Cities/ABC offices and studios in New York, IBM's World Headquarters in Armonk, N.Y., and Goldman Sachs' European headquarters in London.