Image Credit : Nigel Young - Foster + Partners
Project Overview
Located next to the existing Comcast Center, the Comcast Technology Center rises 1,121 feet (341 meters) as the city’s tallest building. The Comcast Technology Center is vertically stepped, with loft-like work spaces and state-of-the-art television studios for NBC10 and Telemundo62, with a 12-story Four Seasons Hotel above. At an urban scale, the project is conceived as a welcoming addition to the neighborhood, integrated with its shops, bars and restaurants.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Norman Foster, Mina Ayoughi, James Barnes, Joseph Bausano, Chad Bishop, Alex Bosch de Legorburu, Andy Bow, Grant Brooker, David Burton, Heidi Chi, Nigel Dancey, Spencer de Grey, Maria Fillar, Dave Freedman, Daniel Glaessi, Alfredo Gonzalez Pleguezuelo, William Gordon, Russell Hales, Dominik Hauser, Annamaria Anderloni, Beau Johnson, Arjun Kaicker, Simone Lam, Insub Lee, Yuan Hsin Lo, Naveed Mughai, David Nelson, Andreas Peyeri, Pierpaolo Rapana, Katy Roach, Paola Nena, Eva Seo-Andersen, Dan Sibert, Paul Stanbridge, Zoe Stokes, Rosy Sturridge, Theodoros Themistocieous, Catherine Thiemann, Sarah Wai, Chris West, Emilio Oritz Zaforas
Project Brief
The 1800 Arch Street site is between the residential and social hub of Rittenhouse Square and the cultural district around Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Reflecting Philadelphia’s great civic tradition of public spaces, the base of the building features a sheltered winter garden that foregrounds the main entrance. This ‘urban room’ combines the best elements of a lobby, a plaza and social spaces to create something completely new for residents and visitors of the city, featuring several site-specific works of art such as For Philadelphia by Jenny Holzer and Exploded Paradigm by Conrad Shawcross that animate the space. Rising up to the upper lobby level reveals The Universal Sphere™, a structure that houses a unique cinematic experience created by Steven Spielberg for all ages, exploring the power of ideas. The sphere is wrapped in a series of interlocking panels that create an infinite geometric pattern. The Vernick Coffee Bar located alongside welcomes visitors and employees to the building, offering both a ‘grab and go’ and table service.
Project Innovation/Need
Below street level, a sheltered subterranean connection passing through the center of the building, lined with shops, works of art and seating areas, links the existing Comcast Center with the new building and the city’s subway system.
The Comcast Technology Center is a vertical campus connected through thirteen triple-height sky gardens. They form the social heart of the workplace, housing the key spaces that include the town hall, NBC10 film
studios, food market and fitness centre. Connected to these areas are the fully flexible loft-like work spaces, a modern interpretation of the ‘garage’ workplace for technologists. Optimised daylight penetration, an efficient active chilled ceiling system and a water management system contribute toward achieving the building’s LEED Platinum accreditation.
The hotel comprises nine floors of guest rooms below. The building’s circulation follows a defined pattern on every floorplate – an internal ‘street’ runs along the center from the elevators to the eastern edge, where the suites are located. Curved corners marking every room door give an impression of generosity of space, a language that continues in the interior layout of the rooms.
Design Challenge
Lighting the restaurant’s soaring triple-height ’cathedral-like interior’ posed a considerable challenge. Another challenge was to allow every guest to enjoy the contrasting landscapes of both city and nature from all corners of the restaurant. Early iterations showed that guests sat in the centre of the space would have a poorer view when compared to those at the perimeter. In collaboration with our in-house specialist modelling group, the design for a unique pyramidical mirrored ceiling emerged, with an intricate lighting system and projectors create a theatrical atmosphere for all guests.
Sustainability
The LEED Platinum design takes advantage of the city’s pleasant climate, offering protection from the harsh winters. The building utilizes an active chilled beam system (the largest in North America during design) which reduces the energy loads and creates a healthier working environment.
The typical floorplate has been designed to optimize and control light levels through efficient glazing with high light transmittance and an automated blind system. Daylight penetrates into the interior spaces through triple height sky gardens. The building also features systems to ensure water efficiency with green roofs, waterless urinals and high-performance cooling towers.
Reclaimed end grain oak forms the hardwearing lobby floor locally sourced in Pennsylvania. The choice of sustainable material pays homage to Philadelphia’s industrial history.
Architecture - Mixed Use - International
This award celebrates the design process and product of planning, designing and constructing form, space and ambience that reflect functional, technical, social, and aesthetic considerations. Consideration given for material selection, technology, light and shadow.
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