Franklin Institute selected Skanska USA to construct its ambitious new building addition, the Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pavilion.
The building has been designed by SaylorGregg Architects and will apply for LEED Silver certification.
Total design, construction and fit-out for the building addition will generate 150,000 hours of work and 125 jobs in construction, design and consulting in Philadelphia, as well as 20 additional full-time or full-time equivalent jobs at The Franklin Institute.
Interior components of the 53,000 square foot Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pavilion include an education and conference center, a permanent exhibition entitled Your Brain, and a changing exhibition gallery. The exterior of the building will be clad in the same Indiana limestone as the original building, and will incorporate decidedly modern features, such as extensive landscaping that mitigates stormwater drainage and a dramatic stainless steel kinetic “shimmer wall” by artist Ned Kahn. BD+C
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