What's housed in the orange and green rubik's cube looking building on 40th and Chesnut streets is no longer a puzzle.
The building called the Hub houses the posh Jean Madeline Aveda Institute. A bit out of place, but not remotely out of style, this bold architectural modernity is the latest of Penn's efforts in rejuvenating 40th Street, a project that has since included the additions of FreshGrocer and the Bridge Cinema.
Wesley Wei, a Penn Architecture professor, designed the interior of the newly built cosmetology school, which can be easily viewed through the building's immense glass windows.
"I wanted the interior to be memorable and bring natural sunlight into building. There is a large elliptical opening on the lower level that brings light and openness into the space," said Wei.
Known for his award-winning modern designs that have been featured in numerous publications such as The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture, Wei was asked to design the institute by Samuel Lehman, president of Jean Madeline.
Wei said he took on the project because it is a school that provides excellent training to students while promoting the ideals of warmth, beauty and wellness.
"Our goal was to create an enjoyable atmosphere for students at Aveda," said Wei.
Thus, Wei and Lehman collaborated to make the institute green not only in its paint job, but also by utilizing renewable resources and recycled material in its construction.
"We wanted to keep it green and a goal in building the institute was to make a beautiful space where students get a sense of art," Lehman said. "It was easy working with Mr. Wei to accomplish this because we have similar tastes and a similar vision for the institute. He is very detail oriented."
The institute also contains many high-tech features. The student entrances have fingerprint access devices that are used for clocking time sheets and gaining access to the facility. Additionally, every room is wired for video conferencing.
To Wei, the institute was a collaborative effort between multiple parties and could not have been accomplished without communication and cooperation.
"You always need three parties in a successful project. One, you need an understanding client like Sam Lehman. Two, you need an inventive architect. And you also need an excellent contractor like Bob Wexler of Allied Construction," said Wei.
In addition to the institute, Wei's recent projects include 56 luxury condominiums in the Ayer located in Washington Square as well as his acclaimed loft studio project in Old City, which earned him a citation of merit from the American Institute of Architects.
Note: In an earlier edition of the article, Wei was referred to as "she", when the pronoun should have been "he". The SP apologizes for this error.
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