After a wide-ranging search, Mark Kocent, was appointed as the University Architect effective July 2.

Mr. Kocent has served as Penn’s Principal Planner for the past 14 years, supporting the Office of the University Architect in all aspects of architect selection, design review, campus planning and community engagement. He has served on the Boards of AIA Philadelphia, the Penn Design Alumni Association, and as a member of the Steering Committee of the Schuylkill River Development Corporation. He also represents Penn in multiple local and regional planning initiatives and in speaking engagements at local and national AIA, AICP and Society for College and University Planning conferences.

Mr. Kocent managed the creation of the University’s award-winning Penn Connects campus master plan and its subsequent 2.0 and soon to be released 3.0 updates. This 30-year vision guides the development framework of the University’s 300-acre West Philadelphia campus with a focus on eastern expansion opportunities along the Schuylkill River, the evolution of the 40th Street corridor and the emerging Pennovation Works tech transfer hub. From 2006-2017 these plans have produced over 6 million square feet of new development, 2.7 million  square feet of renovated space and 30 additional acres of open space, with a total of $3.8 billion of capital investment in University City.

Mr. Kocent holds an undergraduate degree in the design of the environment and a master’s in city planning and urban design from PennDesign as well as a bachelor of architecture from Drexel. His professional experience includes 20 years of architectural and planning practice in Philadelphia, including eight years with Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates. His 40-year relationship with Penn includes his design of the Class of 1982 Ivy Day stone located on Fagin Hall http://www.library.upenn.edu/exhibits/pennhistory/ivystones/ivystones.html