Location: PA

Alain Locke Schoolyard

A direct top-down aerial view of the recreational complex, showing the symmetrical layout of the blue track, green field, basketball court, and yellow playground situated between a school building and a residential row.

OLIN worked with the Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the School District of Philadelphia to redesign and stimulate the schoolyard of the Alain Locke School in West Philadelphia. The project served as an opportunity not only to enhance play, but also to convert an asphalt lot into green infrastructure, extend learning outdoors, and provide […]

Independence National Historical Park

A birdseye view of Independence Mall showing the historic hall, the long green park, and the surrounding city skyline under a blue sky.

OLIN led a multi-disciplinary design team to develop a master plan, design guidelines and detailed site plans for this World Heritage site. The design integrates the contemporary and historic context of Philadelphia into a successful ensemble of vehicular and pedestrian traffic patterns, open spaces and buildings—including the National Constitution Center Visitor Center and pavilion for […]

Lenfest Plaza at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

A street-level view of a giant paintbrush sculpture in a modern plaza next to an ornate red brick building.

Lenfest Plaza at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts unifies art and people within a civic environment in downtown Philadelphia. The plaza links together the Academy’s facilities, including the newly refurbished Hamilton Building and the historic Furness-Hewitt Building. Created by closing a 220-foot length of Cherry Street, the plaza serves as a threshold for […]

Museum of the American Revolution

A sunlit pedestrian plaza outside the Museum of the American Revolution, featuring wooden bench seating, historic cannons, and people in both modern and colonial-style attire.

The Museum of the American Revolution is located in the historic heart of Philadelphia, just blocks from Independence Hall. In collaboration with Robert A.M. Stern Architects, OLIN led the landscape design for the public spaces along each of the streets. On Chestnut Street, long benches provide comfortable seats for viewing two large bronze bas-reliefs depicting […]

The Octavius V. Catto Memorial: A Quest for Parity

low-angle, close-up shot of the bronze statue of Octavius Catto, looking upward against the backdrop of Philadelphia’s City Hall.

The Octavius V. Catto memorial celebrates the 19th century civil rights activist, educator, and scholar who dedicated his life to the abolition of slavery and the establishment of equal rights for all, regardless of race. The memorial is situated adjacent to Philadelphia’s historic City Hall and is the first sculpture of an African American to […]

Philadelphia 30th Street Station District Plan

A wide aerial view of Philadelphia showing a proposed large-scale urban development with several new skyscrapers and expanded park systems.

Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station is one of the busiest and most iconic transit hubs in the nation. Its location at the nexus of Philadelphia’s Center City and University City Districts also makes it potentially one of the most valuable real estate tracts. Still, the land surrounding the station is primarily dominated by rail yards and […]

University of Pennsylvania Weitzman Plaza

A ground-level perspective of the tiered wooden seating area filled with students eating and talking. The scene is framed by leafy green trees and the ornate red brick and terra cotta architecture of the campus.

The new Stuart Weitzman Plaza, home to the school’s graduation ceremony and other events, reinvigorates the setting of the School of Design to play a unique role in the life of the school and campus. Reshaping space at this key nexus of campus pedestrian circulation brings together the Fisher Fine Arts Library, the Graduate Fine […]

Carnegie Mellon University Scaife Hall

A sunset view of an outdoor terrace with people sitting at tables and in colorful chairs, with the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning in the distance.

Carnegie Mellon University is nestled within the Pittsburgh Low Plateau, a truly unique place where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers converge in the center of the city of Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River. The Western Allegheny Plateau Ecoregion gives a broad, ecological context to draw upon, for both its plant palette and its stone […]

Benjamin Franklin Parkway Master Plan

A birdseye view of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, showing lit streets, the Swann Memorial Fountain in the foreground, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the distance.

Fueled by the City Beautiful Movement at the turn of the 20th century and inspired by Paris’ Champs Elysees, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway was originally designed as a grand cultural boulevard, connecting City Hall to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. However, lack of subsequent critical development along the parkway and the advent of the automobile […]

Water Works Park and Island

A high-angle view of an elevated walkway curving along the Schuylkill River. People lounge on a grassy hill near the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with apartment buildings in the distance.

The Fairmount Water Works Park Amenities and Island Enhancements projects represent the final site initiatives in a comprehensive revitalization of the Schuylkill River’s edge. The project is comprised of three main elements: the Italian Fountain Plaza, the River’s Edge and the Island. Along with the restoration of the Italian Fountain itself, improvements to the paving, […]