Arts, Research, and Culture House (ARCH)

Philadelphia, PA

The Arts, Research, and Culture House (ARCH), located along Locust Walk at the heart of the University of Pennsylvania’s campus, has been reimagined to better serve multicultural academic centers and student organizations. The building plays an important role in campus life, providing spaces for meetings, events, and cultural programming. O Z Collaborative worked closely with student leaders and university staff through a series of visioning and input sessions to identify improvements that would make the facility more welcoming, flexible, and inclusive. The project focused on targeted interventions across four floors of the building designed to strengthen the experience of both everyday use and larger events.

On the ground floor, a former commercial kitchen was restored to flexible event space and integrated with an adjacent assembly area to create a larger, more adaptable venue for gatherings and programming. A glass-enclosed student resource lounge with built-in bookshelves provides a visible and inviting space for students to meet and study. Additional improvements include refreshed offices and study spaces for cultural resource centers, a new glass vestibule providing improved access to two independently usable meeting rooms, and a renovated kitchenette that supports both student use and event catering.

The project also introduces a dedicated prayer room designed with culturally appropriate finishes, reinforcing the building’s role as a place of reflection and community. Throughout the renovation, care was taken to preserve the character of the existing building. Mechanical systems were reconfigured without disturbing historic finishes, and a historic entry door was replicated with glass lites to improve visibility for a student organization’s office. These improvements transform ARCH into a more open and vibrant center for cultural engagement and student life at the University of Pennsylvania.

University of Pennsylvania

< Higher Education
<Historic

A lobby or waiting area with wooden paneled walls, a glass door at the back, and four colorful chairs (two red, one blue, and one patterned) arranged around small tables. Banners hang above, displaying various designs and text. There is a trash can o
Interior of a lobby with a decorated altar for Day of the Dead, featuring colorful skulls, marigold flowers, and papel picado banners. There are chairs and tables on each side, with a person sitting at the right table and others at the left, and a so
Empty dining room with white tables and chairs, wooden paneling, large stained glass windows, and a fireplace.
Meeting room with a long wooden table, eight chairs, a large window, flowers, green bottles, and a wall-mounted TV.
Event room with round tables covered in red tablecloths, surrounded by yellow and gray chairs, with wood-paneled walls and large windows sending natural light into the space.
Eagerly cleaned banquet hall with round tables covered in red tablecloths and matching high-top tables, accented with beige chairs, large windows, warm lighting, and wooden wall paneling.
Empty conference room with a long oval table, chairs, flower arrangement, windows, and a large monitor.
A conference room with a long oval table, orange chairs, and a large flat-screen TV on a wood-paneled wall. The table has bottles of water and floral arrangements, with wooden framed windows along one wall.
A spacious hotel lobby or lounge with beige and patterned furniture, wooden wall paneling, framed black-and-white portraits, and a fireplace on the right.
Large event hall with high ceilings, wooden panel walls, multiple round tables with blue tablecloths, and black chairs with white cushions. Windows on the upper walls and large pendant lights hanging from the ceiling.
Large conference room with rows of blue chairs facing a stage with a wooden podium, in a well-lit space with high ceilings, chandeliers, and large windows.
An empty room with wooden floors and paneling, yellow walls, large windows with grilles, radiators beneath the windows, and overhead fluorescent lighting.