- Major donors Leigh & John Middleton , Mayor Michael Nutter, City Councilman Bobby Henon and Superintendent Dr. William Hite
BWA was honored to join Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, U.S. Senator Bob Casey and other dignitaries at the official opening of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering, held Friday, Oct. 2, to celebrate National Manufacturing Day. The Center, located in the basement of Benjamin Franklin High School, provides shop and learning spaces for ten separate high-tech skill areas, such as mechatronics, computer-aided drafting and design, precision machining, welding, and industrial equipment maintenance. BWA architecture + planning provided full design services for the $6 million renovation project.
At the ceremony, city officials noted their high hopes for the Center. “The Center for Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering will play a critical role in the growth of Philadelphia’s economy,” said Mayor Nutter. Dr. Hite spoke not only of the advanced educational and career opportunities for Philly students, but also of providing employers, “a pipeline of smart, committed and job-ready talent for hire.”
BWA’s Morrie Zimmerman with School Reform Commmission Chair Margorie Neff and the school district’s Deputy of Career and Technical Education David Kipphut
Throughout the project, BWA’s design team worked with members of a special advisory committee that included regional manufacturing professionals. Further inspiration came from a visit to the Lehigh Career andTechnical Institute, on which Philly’s program is modeled. Clyde Hornberger, former executive director of the Institute, advised the school district on the Ben Franklin center.
The Center is just the latest Career and Technical Education (CTE) project BWA has completed for the School District. Others include a dental hygiene suite at Kensington Health Sciences Academy and culinary arts suites at Martin Luther King and Strawberry Mansion high schools.
Many thanks to our consulting partners on this project: Brinjac Engineering for complete MEP services and Promatech for cost estimating.
BWA Principal Morrie Zimmerman & Sup. Hite
In the news:
New Technical Education School Opens In Philadelphia, CBS Philly
