Cladding installation is wrapping up at the Drexel College of Nursing and Health Professions at 3601 Filbert Street in University City, West Philadelphia, as glass panels have reached the top of the steel structure. Developed by Wexford Science & Technology LLC and designed by Ballinger, the building is one of the first structures under construction within the uCity Square complex. Alternately known as the Wexford Drexel Academic Tower, the high-rise stands 185 feet and 12 stories tall.
Drexel College for Nursing and Health Professions. Photo by Thomas Koloski
Caisson drilling started in early September 2020. In January, two cranes were erected while foundation work was underway. Within two months, steel was rising rapidly and had passed the halfway point. At the time, the building frame stood seven stories tall, with the cranes working around the clock. The structure was finished in June, by which time more than half of the steel was already fireproofed. By September, fireproofing had been finished while glass rose over halfway up.
The exterior is now nearing completion as several panels of glass now reach the very top of the building. The steel structure is close to being completely enclosed and the curtain wall now very closely resembles the final product. One more story of glass is left to complete on the north side under the terrace. We observed glass panels being lifted during our most recent site visit, shortly before the sun went below the horizon. Soon, the cranes will come down and interior work will be heavily underway.
One uCity Square and Drexel College for Nursing and Health Professions. Photo by Thomas Koloski
uCity Square site. Photo by Thomas Koloski
Completion is expected in May 2023.
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Yikes. It looks very different from the renderings, but both are equally hideous.