A special topping off ceremony of the Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology (VLEST) was held on a cold day in January 2023. Members of the Penn community gathered to sign the final steel beam before it was hoisted on top of the building in a long-standing builders' tradition.

The $173M facility, located at 32nd and Walnut streets, will house the next generation of energy research programs that integrate expertise from the School of Arts & Sciences and School of Engineering and Applied Science. VLEST will incude a flexible wet chemistry and optics lab, collaborative spaces, and offices, with a landscaped courtyard linking Walnut Street and Shoemaker Green.

Read more about the topping off ceremony, and about the impact VLEST will have on the University, at Penn Today.