Brief Description
The Engineering and Design Institute at was founded in 2000 with the purpose of promoting new business opportunities through enhanced adoption of sustainable systems, products, and design strategies. EDI is a part of Philadelphia University and is headquartered in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia in an 1863 textile mill building. The Institute was founded by Rob Fleming and Chris Pastore leveraging funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the Ben Franklin Technology Partnership, and other industrial sponsors.
The focus of the Institute is research on green materials, sustainable design strategies and education to the community on issues related to sustainability. Our performance is measured in terms of jobs created or retained, number of people trained and educated, and number of new sustainable processes or technologies deployed.
Sustainability Narrative
The Engineering and Design Institute has played a pivotal role in the region’s emergence as a leader in green building and sustainable initiatives. The unique, equal footing collaboration of Architecture and Engineering has provided a scaffold for innovative solutions to a wide range of sustainable technologies and products. The approach, originating as an internal organization within Philadelphia University has been replicated at greater scales in a wider community.
The Institute helped to found the Delaware Valley Green Building Council (2001). In 2003, the Institute founded the Consortium for Sustainable Design and Research, a research group including Temple and Villanova Universities, the Ben Franklin Partnership and DVGBC. In 2006, The Institute joined forces with the Green Building Alliance, to form the Pennsylvania Green Growth Partnership, which also includes Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh and Penn State. The partnerships have all paid dividends by promoting the emerging market sectors opportunities presented by sustainability. The Institute also established a physical presence in the city as means to further imbed the culture of sustainability as hip and current. First located on Shurs Lane in Roxborough, the Institute later moved to a new location just off Main Street in the Manuayunk section of Philadelphia. The space has been used for a variety of social and cultural events to promote sustainable design as an emerging aesthetic and cultural force. The efforts thus far have allowed the Institute to appear in numerous print and radio shows (highlighted with a national exposure on Radio Times on NPR).
The Institute provides leadership to the green building movement as both advocate and skeptic, challenging people to build a more sophisticated and nuanced understanding of the forces that shape the movement. The largest impact of the Institute’s work is found in the area of economics and job creation. Through the efforts of the Institute and its partners, 120 jobs have been created or retained leading to a more robust and effective green economy. In terms of green building elements, the Institute has played a significant role in educating a wide array of students in sustainable design since 1997. More recently, the Institute spearheaded efforts to found 2 new educational programs: BS in Architectural Engineering with a sustainability focus and MS in Sustainable Design. These will act as a catalyst to further the region’s emerging reputation as a center for green design. In addition, the institute worked with DVGBC to design, promote and deploy the Green Advantage Training Program, a course that teaches building professionals essential knowledge needed to complete a green building project. A corner stone to all of the accomplishments above has been the Institute’s persistent search for creative and innovative products, educational programs and methods to assist young companies in their own drive towards becoming greener and more profitable. This is consistent with the overall mission of the Institute to provide services in the context of environmental, economic, social and aesthetic contexts with the end goal of improving the quality of life for the region, commonwealth and beyond.
Results..(since the year 2,000) - Number of jobs created and retained 120
- Companies assisted 36
- Patents executed 1
- Number of undergraduates educated 350
- Number of undergrads and grad internships 49
- Number of professionals educated 1,000
- Number of design charettes participated in 14
- Dollars brought to our region for sustainability 4 million dollars
Source: Annual reports to Department of Community and Economic Development
For more information about the Engineering & Design Institute visit www.philau.edu/edi
