Atkin Olshin Schade Architects

Year Established: 1979

Atkin Olshin Schade Architects is an award-winning architecture, interiors, and planning firm that designs vibrant and sustainable places. We approach design as a means to give life and purpose to new and existing buildings. We celebrate the culture and history of the buildings, sites, and institutions we work with and explore the possibilities of their contemporary context and use. We are inspired by the diversity of our clients and the ambitions and circumstances of every project we undertake. Since our founding in 1979, we have worked with academic, religious, and cultural institutions, as well as communities and individuals, to create significant new buildings and transformative renovations. Each project we undertake thoughtfully addresses our client’s current and future needs while embracing the character of their physical and cultural settings. We are dedicated to environmental and cultural stewardship. From each project’s conception, we balance sustainability with design, craft, and historical and ecological context. As an AIA 2030 Commitment signatory firm, we lead by example and are working toward carbon neutral buildings and renovations within the next decade. Our future-oriented preservation approach is as grounded in the life of contemporary communities as it is in caring for buildings of the past. We believe that preservation is compatible with new uses and improvements that enrich significant structures of all eras.

Types of Work

• Assembly/Theatre/Religious Institutions 15%
• Commercial/Office 5%
• Healthcare 5%
• Historic Preservation/Restoration 25%
• Hospitality/Retail 5%
• Interior Design 5%
• Lab/Research Facilities 5%
• Residential: Multi-family 15%
• Residential: Single Family 5%
• Urban Design/Planning 5%
• Educational 35%
• Special Services: Design/Build, Sustainable Design

Projects 

Much of the firm’s current work is with academic, cultural, and religious institutions that want to balance their need for growth with their commitment to the preservation of the historic character and scale of their existing facilities. Some of our most notable projects for higher education institutions include Richards Medical Research Lab & College Hall at the University of Pennsylvania, the renovation of Brown Hall and Dillon Gymnasium at Princeton University, renovations to Rhodes Hall at Cornell University, and new residence halls at Bryn Mawr College, Dartmouth College, Lafayette College, and Lehigh University. Other projects with academic clients include the Scanlan Campus Center at Loomis Chafee School, a new Dining Hall Addition at Episcopal Academy, and renovations to the Lower School, Fitness Center, and Blauvelt Theater at Friends Select School. Projects at cultural and religious institutions in the Philadelphia region include The Met, The Academy of Music, Eastern State Penitentiary, the Anne d’Harnoncourt Sculpture Garden and Parking Garage at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, and St. David’s Episcopal Church.

Awards 

2020 AIA Pennsylvania & Philadelphia Honor Award for Richards Medical Research Labs & The Met; 2020 Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia Grand Jury Award for First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia; 2019 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania Commonwealth Award for SouthSide Commons at Lafayette College; among 70+ State, Regional, and Local Awards in the past 10 years

Firm Personnel 

Total Staff: 25

Licensed Architects: 10

Administration: 3

Marketing & PR Contact: Kate Evans, [email protected]