Drexel University and The School District of Philadelphia combined to create a school that houses two public schools in West Philadelphia. The School District of Philadelphia leases the building from Drexel and the facility houses both the Samuel Powel Elementary School and the Science Leadership Academy Middle School.

In May 2019 Drexel entered into an agreement with developer Wexford Science and Technology for the development of the 87,000-square-foot, two-story building. Rogers Partners Architects + Urban Designers is responsible for the design, with Andropogon Associates, Ltd. as landscape architects. 

BSI served as the general contractor for the two-story Elementary & Middle School on the University City site. The facility includes a full-service kitchen, cafetorium, gymnasium, science rooms, art rooms, music rooms, playground, and courtyard. The outer shell of the building consists of glass curtain walls, metal panels and brick.

During and before construction, key contractors assessed construction drawings, along with the design and construction management teams. Weekly progress meetings were held with key contractors and representatives from BSI. Weekly progress meetings were held with the owner, Rogers, and BSI. Further coordination meetings were held every week, with representatives from the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire prevention contractors, BSI, and Rogers, until they had been completed. 

Additionally, all contractors were contacted and brought in prior to their work progressing to identify any potential issues. BSI’s project executive, engineer, and superintendent managed issues, coordination, scheduling, safety, and logistics during the construction process. BSI’s constant presence on-site allowed for questions and issues to be answered promptly and accurately. This also ensured that the project was on time and within the budget constraints.