Vertical expansion was always in the cards for the University of Pennsylvania Health System corporate office and support services building in West Philadelphia. Completed in 2019, the 10-story, 250,000-sq-ft structure was designed for an eventual overbuild of a similar size. That envisioned addition originally was intended to house administrative staff.
But in the world of medicine, change can sweep in dramatically. The university health care system, nicknamed Penn Medicine, is a case in point. It played a key role in research that led to the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines. That fast-arising effort also reshaped the priorities and timeline for the envisioned 3600 Civic Center Boulevard expansion.