The Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology (VLEST) was completed in winter 2025 and serves as a scientific home base for the Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology. VLEST has seven floors of flexible and efficient lab spaces, researcher offices, faculty offices, an administrative suite, informal collaborative spaces and meetings rooms. The Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER), an undergraduate dual-degree program in science and engineering, is also located in VLEST. The laboratory spaces are occupied by the research groups of eight faculty from the School of Arts and Sciences and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, as well as core instrumentation facilities that house multi-user major scientific instrumentation.

VLEST is a testament to Penn’s leadership and innovation for a sustainable future. Its design, which incorporates energy efficiency and sustainability concepts aligned with Penn’s University Climate Action Plan, acts as an instrument of the research it serves. A key design feature of the all-electric building is the high-efficiency façade and exterior shading, which allows for radiant cooling and heating while maximizing daylight available indoors.