Two schools under one roof

At Temple University, long-established programs in media, communications, film, and the performing arts have continued to see increasing student interest. To meet this growth and support a new generation of emerging industry leaders, the Klein College of Media and Communications and the Center for Performing and Cinematic Arts (CPCA) needed a new home—a dynamic, state-of-the-art media hub and performance venue designed for learning, creativity, and entertainment.

The new 200,000-square-foot building consolidates two creative programs and their associated performance and production spaces, which were previously spread across multiple campus buildings. It includes classrooms, faculty offices, screening rooms, studios, and post-production spaces, as well as theaters that host programming open to the public. By bringing two schools together under one roof, the architecture creates opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, while engaging the broader community through shared programs, amenities, and open spaces.

A new gateway to campus

Sited at the western edge of campus, the building is conceived as a new gateway to Temple University. The building frames Polett Walk, the main pedestrian axis on campus, with a portico-like structure that invites the community to pass directly through it. At the same time, the design extends Polett Walk westward, connecting Broad Street to the east and 15th Street to the west, to create clarity and continuity across the campus. As a complement to the open space design, SOM created a vibrant sequence of outdoor amenities, including green spaces with native landscaping, a variety of seating, integrated lighting, as well as an amphitheater for performances and community gatherings.

Creativity on display

The building’s dynamic facade establishes a prominent presence along the streetfront on both Polett Walk and Broad Street, with angled glass apertures that put the program and student work on display. On the upper levels, double-height apertures reveal the activity within—from the Temple University Television (TUTV) production studios, to editing suites—allowing student creativity to take center stage. Along the exterior, a series of bronze metal panels create a rhythmic, gradient texture. The warmth of this material harmonizes with the neighboring historic stone buildings. The panel depths change as they recede outward from the apertures, evoking the pull of a theater curtain or the shutter of a camera lens

The transparency of the building’s entrances similarly welcome the public into the building. Two glass-enclosed lobbies face Broad Street, providing views into interiors finished in plaster and American white oak. The north lobby, distinguished by a large media wall for displaying work, grants direct access to the student center, a large lecture hall, and academic spaces. A second, gracious south lobby leads to the main performance and entertainment venues, including a 375-seat proscenium, a 180-seat cinema, 140-seat black box theater, and a 63-seat screening room.

The upper floors bring together teaching, collaboration, and production spaces. Light-filled corridors with collaboration spaces line the perimeter, while production and studio spaces are located at the center of the floorplate. This configuration minimizes light exposure into the studios while putting a range of creative spaces on display. 

An outward expression of program

SOM’s Graphics + Brand Studio developed a visual approach that reflects both distinction and unity between the two schools. The strategic use of color—a graduated palette from red to blue with several shades in between—highlights the schools’ specialty performance and production studio spaces. Visible through expanses of the building’s curtain wall system, and punctuated by large-scale signage, these colored volumes communicate the school’s activities to the public while enhancing wayfinding for the building’s users.

Future flexibility

In the context of an evolving media industry, Temple’s new building is designed with the flexibility to serve generations of students to come. The lobbies can easily be reconfigured to accommodate events and gatherings, while shared editing suites and dedicated studio spaces are modeled after professional facilities and designed to adapt to new media technologies. 

A series of sustainability strategies further position the building towards the future. The interiors prioritize sustainable and healthy materials, warm finishes, communal spaces, and daylighting to benefit health and wellbeing for students and faculty. A large green roof, native plantings, bird-friendly glass, and an overall window-to-wall ratio of 30 percent further contribute to the project’s LEED Silver target.