High-rise

Twin Independence Blue Cross Towers. Image from WZMH Architects

Examining the Once-Proposed Twin Independence Blue Cross Towers

8:00 am on February 26, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Ever since the 500-foot-plus height limit was erased after One Liberty Place went up, developers rushed to construct buildings taller than the prior boundary. Designed by WZMH Architects, the twin towers of the Independence Blue Cross Tower were originally proposed to stand next to each other, rising 625 feet and 45 stories tall at 1901 Market Street and at 1919 Market Street in 1901 Market Street and at Center City West. The group behind the design is the same as the one that designed the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada. The developer of the twin tower project is The Linpro Company, which has only erected one tower that stands out on the skyline.

12+Sansom at 123-27 South 12th Street. Rendering credit: Studios Architecture

New Massing for 12 + Sansom at 123 South 12th Street in Market East, Center City

7:30 am on February 26, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In a follow-up to the recent design update to the 12 + Sansom project at 123 South 12th Street, Philadelphia YIMBY shares with its readers exclusive, brand new massing models of the 265-fot-tall, 20-story building’s future presence on the skyline. Designed by Studios Architecture (with Bower Lewis Tower Architects as the architect of record) and developed by Greystar Real Estate Partners, the 412-unit residential building will significantly boost the density in the Market East section of Center City. The tower’s shape and exterior have completely changed since the last iteration.

Live! Casino and Hotel Officially Complete in the Sports Complex District, South Philadelphia

8:00 am on February 25, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Construction work has finally wrapped up at the Live! Casino and Hotel at 900 Packer Avenue in the Sports Complex District in South Philadelphia. Designed by Bower Lewis Thower Architects and developed by The Cordish Companies and Greenwood Racing and Entertainment, the 1.5-million-square-foot development consists of a massive, three-story casino structure with a curved stone exterior, joined with a 215-foot-tall, 14-story, 215-room hotel tower with a dark glass façade and an angled top.

Bridgeman's View Tower. Rendering via Studio Agoos Lovera

Looking Back at Bridgeman’s View Tower, an Unbuilt 915-Foot-Tall Skyscraper Once Proposed in Northern Liberties, North Philadelphia

7:30 am on February 25, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Over the course of the past three decades, many high-rise projects have been proposed along the Delaware River, yet most bit the dust before construction had ever begun. One of these is the 915-foot-tall, 66-story Bridgeman’s View Tower planned in 2007 at 900 North Delaware Avenue in Northern Liberties, North Philadelphia, a surprising location for such a tall skyscraper proposal, given the area’s then-lowrise profile. Designed by Studio Agoos Lovera and developed by Marc Stien, Ryan Roberts, and an undisclosed North Jersey real estate investment team, the tower was planned to feature a mix of residential office, hotel, and retail space, with 794 condominiums and 200 to 300 boutique hotel rooms.

Renderings Revealed for Ultra Labs University City at 100 North 32nd Street in University City, West Philadelphia

8:00 am on February 24, 2021 By Colin LeStourgeon

Renderings have been revealed for Ultra Labs University City, a mixed-use high-rise proposed at 100 North 32nd Street in University City, West Philadelphia. The building will stand 11 stories tall and hold 185,279 square feet of office and laboratory space, contributing to the city’s rapidly growing life sciences industry. The tower will likely rise somewhere between 160 and 190 feet tall, high enough to be easily noticeable from its position next to the rail yard and across from the Schuylkill River.

W/Element Hotel with decorative lighting. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Decorative Lighting Tested Atop W/Element Hotel at 1441 Chestnut Street in Center City

8:00 am on February 22, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In recent days, decorative lighting was undergoing testing atop the W/Element Hotel at 1441 Chestnut Street in Center City, as the dual-branded hotel readies for its grand opening in the coming months (Element Hotel in April and the W Hotel in May). Designed by Cope-Linder Architects and developed by Chestlen Development, the tower’s nighttime illumination will be particularly effective due to the tower’s prominent height of 617 feet and 52 stories, further enhanced by the dramatic design inspired by the ripples on the Schuylkill River. During Superbowl LII, the Lighting Practice, the building’s illumination designer, was inspired by multiple skyscrapers that were illuminated in green in honor of the Philadelphia Eagles and decided to switch from an all-white design to a multi-colored LED system.

Timber Towers. Rendering via Hickok Cole

Examining Timber Towers, a Visionary Concept for Wood-Framed High-Rises Suggested for Center City

8:00 am on February 20, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In 2018, architecture firm Hickok Cole published a design concept for Timber Towers, a trio of mixed-use high-rises that would use wood as the principal structural material. The concept, which won an honorable mention in the SKYHIVE Skyscraper Challenge, was designed to span an entire block in Center City to the northwest of the Comcast Technology Center. According to the architects, the 1.9-million-square-foot plan would use 2,075,125 cubic feet of wood products, “easily replenished by North American forests in less than three hours,” and sequester 80,775 US tons of carbon dioxide within the structure, resulting in emissions savings are the equivalent those produced by 12,073 cars within one year.

Site Clearance in Progress at Penn’s Landing Redevelopment in Center City

8:00 am on February 14, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The massive Penn’s Landing Redevelopment project will dramatically transform the Delaware River waterfront south of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Developed by The Durst Organization, the complex will create over 3.6 million square feet of floor space, as well as a 11.5-acre public park. The $2.2 billion project will add 1,834 residential units and a significant amount of office space, while expanding the Center City skyline to the east and likely inviting high-rise growth in the gap between the waterfront and the skyline core.

Cira 2 and the Cira Center. Photo by KMCA Architectural Model Makers and Prototyping

Looking Back at the Second Tower Once Planned at Cira Centre in University City, West Philadelphia

8:00 am on February 13, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Shortly after the completion of the first Cira Centre skyscraper in 2005, plans were revealed for a second tower at a nearby site. The 725-foot-tall, 48-story high-rise was shown as part of a model of the greater complex, around the time of the groundbreaking of the FMC Tower nearby to the south. The project was designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architecture and planned for development by Brandywine Realty Trust, a team that is also behind the original Cira Centre as well as the Evo and FMC Tower at Cira Centre South, a group of buildings that has transformed the University City skyline.

Mellon Bank Center. Photo via Elizabeth Day Art & Architectural Illustration

A Look at the Former, Taller Iteration of Mellon Bank Center, Center City

8:00 am on February 12, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The 824-foot Mellon Bank Center at 1735 Market Street was completed in 1990. Originally, the tower had a similar design yet with a taller shape and several other differences. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and developed by CommonWealth REIT, the tower would have stood 880 feet tall and would have featured projecting floor space at the corners up to an estimated height of 400 feet. The crown would have also appeared more skeletal than it looks today. Stone patterns all around the base are different.

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