Bossone Research Enterprise Center

On March 1, 2005 the College of Engineering celebrated the opening of the newly constructed Bossone Research Enterprise Center. The ceremonies took place in the new addition to Drexel University’s campus on the Market Street between 31st and 32nd.


L to r: College of Engineering Dean Selçuk Güçeri, Board of Trustees Chairman Joseph Jacovini, Edmund Bossone and President Papadakis at the ceremony.

Designed by the internationally acclaimed architectural firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, the $37 million, 155,000-square-foot multistory Edmund D. Bossone Research Enterprise Center will become the focal point of Drexel's growing research program.


L to r: College of Engineering Dean Selçuk Güçeri, Kay Bossone and Edmund Bossone during the Bossone Research Enterprise Center dedication ceremony.

“The Bossone Center will further enhance Drexel's role as a national research leader,” said Drexel President Constantine Papadakis. “Its state-of-the-art facilities and labs will strengthen the research capabilities of our faculty and students. It will also broaden the scope and depth of our research program.”
The Center is named in honor of Drexel engineering alumnus Edmund Bossone, '53, who, with wife Kathleen donated $10 million toward its completion. An $8 million grant from the commonwealth and $3.5 million in federal funding also contributed to the project.

The new Center includes 48 teaching laboratories, 37 lab support spaces, eight conference rooms, 77 offices and a 300-seat auditorium. The Center's focal point is a 70-foot-high prism that allows sunlight to penetrate the building. The Center also features a three-story atrium with skylights and a 5,100-square-foot terrace offers a view of the city.


The Bossone Center is home to a 300-seat auditorium.

The College of Engineering will occupy most of the building and will provide facilities for faculty and students from various departments in the University. The Center will house research facilities for tissue engineering, drug delivery, biomedical imaging and advanced materials development as well as Drexel's Nanotechnology Institute and the Center for Telecommunication and Information Assurance.
The Bossone Center will also be home to the Drexel Research Resources Center, a central materials characterization facility containing Raman spectroscopes, high-resolution transmission and scanning electron microscopes and atomic force microscopes. Staffed by expert technicians, the Research Resources Center will be available for use by regional organizations and the academic and corporate communities of greater Philadelphia.


The angular structure designed by the internationally acclaimed architectural firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners adds character and quality to Drexel’s University City Campus.

The School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems will utilize the new building for groundbreaking research that combines engineering with medicine to develop medical devices.
The Center will save on energy costs with the help of a cooling system that incorporates ice storage to reduce the amount of energy used during peak times. A pumped-refrigerant, heat-recovery system reclaims heat from the laboratory exhaust and channels it back into the building, reducing the operating costs for heat.

Kay and Edmund Bossone with their plaque that was placed on the building in honor of their $10 million donation.

Bossone Center Fast Facts
Cost: $37 million
Designed by: I.M. Pei & Partners
Architects: Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann Associates
Construction manager: P. Agnes Inc.
Location: South side of Market Street between 31st and 32nd streets

Dimensions and facilities:
• A 155,000-square-foot multistory structure
• 48 teaching laboratories
• 37 lab support spaces
• 8 conference rooms
• 77 offices
• 300-seat auditorium
Unique features:
• 70-foot-high prism
• 3-story atrium with skylights
• 5,100-square-foot terrace