{"id":468,"date":"2005-02-15T20:07:49","date_gmt":"2005-02-15T20:07:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/?p=468"},"modified":"2025-09-05T14:23:52","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T14:23:52","slug":"the-lutheran-theological-seminary-philadelphia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/the-lutheran-theological-seminary-philadelphia\/","title":{"rendered":"The Lutheran Theological Seminary Philadelphia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Alucobond,<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Project Name:<\/th>\n\u00a0The Lutheran Theological Seminary<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Project Location:<\/th>\nPhiladelphia, PA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS Materials:<\/th>\n17,910 Sq.Ft. of 4mm Custom Lutheran Pewter<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Attachment Method:<\/th>\nRout and Return<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Year of Installation:<\/th>\n2005<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Architect:<\/th>\nGYA Architects<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fabricator:<\/th>\nEastern Exterior Wall Systems Inc.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
General Contractor:<\/th>\nAlvin H. Batz, Inc.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Contemporary ALUCOBOND\u00ae Blends With Historic Stone in Seminary Learning Center<\/p>\n

The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, situated on 14 park-like tree-shaded acres, has been a community presence in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Northwest Philadelphia since the 1880s. Classes at the 500-student campus \u2013 originally founded in 1864 and a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America \u2013 have been held in a hodgepodge of historic spaces, including the dining rooms of professors who reside in campus housing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, when seminary leaders began to envision a dedicated classroom facility on campus, they sought out architectural designs that would incorporate modern technology while preserving the site\u2019s historical ambiance. They agreed to construct the new learning facility \u2013 The Brossman Center \u2013 in the space occupied by a decommissioned dormitory built in 1888. They chose a design by GYA Architects Inc. of Philadelphia. Led by architects George Yu and Lotus Leong, the firm has developed a specialty in religious building design \u2013 including churches, parochial schools and seminaries \u2013 with an emphasis on blending historic significance with modern amenities.<\/p>\n

\"Alucobond,<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cOur intention is to balance preserving buildings and maintaining their historical context while meeting modern needs,\u201d said Lotus Leong, principal, GYA Architects.<\/p>\n

Although the 1888 dormitory did not offer the space, structural or mechanical requirements to be renovated into a modern classroom facility, its architectural presence would be greatly missed if it were completely demolished. The building was constructed from Wissahickon Schist stone \u2013 predominant bedrock underlying Philadelphia that is no longer quarried.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 1888 building was so much a part of the campus quadrangle,\u201d said Leong. \u201cIt was the first building that made a statement on campus.\u201d
\nIn order to retain that historic architectural presence, GYA restructured the building\u2019s three-story front stone fa\u00e7ade as a building welcoming area, featuring three originally-designed floors of arched glazed windows that face the campus quadrangle.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur design was focused on ensuring that light could stream into the building starting with the circular windows on the third floor,\u201d said Leong.
\nThe ability to reflect light proved a powerful factor in the specification of a very contemporary building material \u2013 ALUCOBOND\u00ae aluminum composite material (ACM) by 3A Composites USA \u2013 to complete the 40,000-square-foot $20-million three-story Brossman Center, which was oriented at an oblique angle behind the original stone facade. Approximately 17,910 square feet of ALUCOBOND\u00ae ACM in the custom Lutheran Pewter color and 4mm thickness was fabricated and installed on all four sides of the building by Eastern Exterior Wall Systems Inc., Midlantic, based in Horsham, Pa. Alvin H. Butz, Inc., of Allentown, Pa., served as general contractor for the project.<\/p>\n

\"Alucobond,<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe contemporary appearance of the ALUCOBOND\u00ae provides a neutral backdrop behind the stone fa\u00e7ade,\u201d said Leong. \u201cThe reflective aluminum quality and oblique-angled site planning of the ALUCOBOND\u00ae paneled building almost make it disappear. The Brossman Center is the largest building on campus, but it appears smaller and inviting with the 1888 historic front at the entrance fa\u00e7ade. The Pennsylvania stone is dark while the ALUCOBOND\u00ae is more reflective and ethereal. The combination of the window glazing and ALUCOBOND\u00ae makes the building appear very light. The glass and ALUCOBOND\u00ae create a harmonious relationship within the historical building context.\u201d<\/p>\n

John Kahler, director of communications, The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, describes the blending of historic and contemporary materials in The Brossman Center as \u201ca fascinating contrast that people love.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis building has, in many ways, transformed this institution,\u201d said Kahler. \u201cPeople love it. It\u2019s a showpiece.<\/p>\n

\"Alucobond,<\/a><\/p>\n

In addition to housing seminary classes, the new Brossman Center has opened itself to the Philadelphia community as a full-service meeting and event venue. The building was designed with eight conference rooms and 11 classrooms of varying sizes along with generous, open public spaces. The largest gathering space is Benbow Hall, which can accommodate up to 450 guests. Meeting technology includes state-of-the-art audiovisual capabilities, video and teleconferencing, and wireless Internet access in all meeting rooms.<\/p>\n

Seminary admissions, student services and the registrar\u2019s office are located on the third floor, while the building\u2019s ground floor features public spaces, including a lounge and gathering areas. The basement provides compact storage for the nearby 100-year-old Krauth Memorial Library and the Lutheran Archives Center at Philadelphia, which serves the northeastern United States.<\/p>\n

Kahler said visitors who approach The Brossman Center through the building\u2019s rear entrance facing the parking lot see only the new ALUCOBOND\u00ae fa\u00e7ade.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re floored when they see the other side of the building with the 1888 dormitory stone fa\u00e7ade and how well it all blends in,\u201d said Kahler.
\nGYA designed the ALUCOBOND\u00ae panels to be installed in an intricate pattern evocative of the window openings in the 1888 building, according to Leong.<\/p>\n

\"Alucobond,<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe ALUCOBOND\u00ae runs the length of the building (on the parking lot side), so we paneled the back side of the building to define rhythmic window openings,\u201d said Leong. \u201cThe pattern of the ALUCOBOND\u00ae is in scale to the light openings. It\u2019s a well-balanced composition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eastern Exterior Wall Systems\u2019 pre-fabricated system includes attaching the fabricated ALUCOBOND\u00ae pans via aluminum extrusions to its 10-foot by 30-foot welded light-gauge frame assemblies, which also include sheathing, air\/vapor barrier, and necessary metal closures and trim. The company\u2019s system \u201cenables the exterior of the building to be closed up in a fraction of the time normally required by stick building,\u201d said Wayne Martin, president, Eastern Exterior Wall Systems, Midlantic.<\/p>\n

The ALUCOBOND\u00ae panels were cut with a rout and return method.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe detailing of the ALUCOBOND\u00ae made this a very interesting design; there are a lot of contours in the pattern,\u201d said Martin. \u201cThe ALUCOBOND\u00ae blended well with the stone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ground was broken for The Brossman Center in March 2004, and the building was dedicated in September 2005. A future phase of the seminary\u2019s master plan is to connect the 100-year-old Krauth Memorial Library with The Brossman Center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Project Name: \u00a0The Lutheran Theological Seminary Project Location: Philadelphia, PA ALUCOBOND\u00ae PLUS Materials: 17,910 Sq.Ft. of 4mm Custom Lutheran Pewter Attachment Method: Rout and Return Year of Installation: 2005 Architect: GYA Architects Fabricator: Eastern Exterior Wall Systems Inc. General Contractor: Alvin H. Batz, Inc. Contemporary ALUCOBOND\u00ae Blends With Historic Stone in Seminary Learning Center The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[11,39,37,38,28,29,41,40],"class_list":["post-468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-case-studies","tag-acm","tag-acp","tag-aluminum-composite-material","tag-aluminum-composite-panel","tag-architecture","tag-design","tag-educational","tag-exteriors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=468"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7437,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468\/revisions\/7437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alucobondusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}