The Graham Athletics & Wellness Center

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Firm

EwingCole

Client

William Penn Charter School

Area

87,000 sq.ft.

Completion Date

09/2021

Halkin/Mason Photography, LLC

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William Penn Charter School, the oldest Quaker school in the nation, strives to create a learning environment where arts and athletics flourish side by side with scholastic achievement. To accommodate over 900 students, Penn Charter needed to build a facility to support one of the most extensive athletic programs of Pennsylvania Independent Schools as well as serve the needs of the broader student population, including K-12 physical education.

The Center accommodates multiple wellness programs in addition to various recreational and competitive athletic programs. Two competition-level basketball courts, four practice cross courts, recreation and training facilities, a climbing wall, a concessions area, and a nutrition center support the school’s belief that these activities enable students to become “strong, creative, resilient and flexible people.” Support spaces include locker rooms and team rooms, a training room with hydrotherapy, and an athletics administrative suite. Additionally, the wellness program is anchored by an open multistory lounge space flanked by a nutrition bar and flexible classroom spaces that are used in a variety of purposes, including traditional instruction and team meetings.