PHILADELPHIA | Highrise Development Thread X

[PhillyRising]

Originally Posted by volguus zildrohar

Is Philadelphia ready for a big red skyscraper at Schuylkill Yards?

I will say hell yes. At 512 feet too?


PAU Architects

Anything that isn't a blue glass tower.

When I was in high school back in the stone age of the early 80'sl, I wanted to see Philly get a glass tower so bad like other cities had...and we finally got one on West Market (PNC tower) in 82 or 83.

Now...it's just overkill with the blue glass towers.

So I am okay with a red tower.

[summersm343]

CDR submissions are up! Including the first two towers in Schuylkill Yards, and a new tower at 1101 Walnut

[dreadnought]

Hi-
Long time lurker, first time poster. I've been watching with great interest how the SY development is shaping up. This building troubles me a bit.
I don't mind that it will be red. That seems to be what people are focusing on. Red is fine. It's the massing that irritates me. Top-heavy buildings like this seem, aesthetically, unlike what a skyscraper should be. It's blocky and imposing, rather than graceful.
The conditions at grade level are very nice, however - the building is raised above the ground plane which allows for public outdoor activities to take place there.
Here is a link to the architect's web page for the building.https://pau.studio/what/jfk-towers-at-schuylkill-yards/
The writing is terrible, typical architect double speak ("a dynamic tri-partite volume that flips symmetrically to become itself and dances as one moves around the city"-? WTF does that mean?), and lots of rationalizations for "echoing" other things (red like the Pennsylvania RR trains that used to run through the site, a mention of Furness' Fine Arts Building for some reason, etc., anything to avoid making its own identity, just reflecting the identities of other things.) I don't understand why they had to try to make it red because of the trains that went through there decades and decades ago - it would have been perfectly fine to say that we are making the building red so that it stands out from the other blue glass towers in the city. Old trains have nothing to do with it. But that's post modern architecture for you.
I hope this design gets refined, it could be a nice building.

[Jawnadelphia]

Very cool new graphics on the PAU Studios website - thanks for posting. I've been stalking their website, these must've went up this morning.


CDR has great renderings and info:
https://www.phila.gov/media/20190822...025JFKBlvd.pdf

[Jawnadelphia]

Originally Posted by summersm343

CDR submissions are up! Including the first two towers in Schuylkill Yards, and a new tower at 1101 Walnut

Wendy's Tower - 247 feet tall, not bad!
https://www.phila.gov/media/20190822...lnutStreet.pdf

[JohnIII]

Originally Posted by Jawnadelphia

So to recap, it looks like Philly will now have 3 - 500ft+ tall towers going up at the same time, in 3 different areas of Center City -- a good day.

A red tower is very unique; and nice; a huge departure from the norm and the design is nice as well. But what are the 3 towers that are over 500'?

[Jawnadelphia]

Originally Posted by JohnIII

A red tower is very unique; and nice; a huge departure from the norm and the design is nice as well. But what are the 3 towers that are over 500'?

1) The Laurel - 599ft
2) Arthaus - 520 something feet.
5) 3001 JFK - 512 feet.

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by Jawnadelphia

Wendy's Tower - 247 feet tall, not bad!
https://www.phila.gov/media/20190822...lnutStreet.pdf

Looks decent. Proceed.

[SEFTA]

1101 Walnut Street.
Another thread, exciting

1101 Walnut Street

1101 Walnut Street b

1101 Walnut Street c

1101 Walnut Street d

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by Jawnadelphia

Very cool new graphics on the PAU Studios website - thanks for posting. I've been stalking their website, these must've went up this morning.


CDR has great renderings and info:
https://www.phila.gov/media/20190822...025JFKBlvd.pdf

I'm just not feeling it here for multiple subjective reasons. Oh well. Anything built in that wasteland is an improvement.

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by Knight Hospitaller

I'm just not feeling it here for multiple subjective reasons. Oh well. Anything built in that wasteland is an improvement.

It's that whole Red Scare thing from the '50s. I don't think you're over it quite yet.

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by Philly Fan

It's that whole Red Scare thing from the '50s. I don't think you're over it quite yet.

Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get me. I definitely don't want to go back to the Sixties, which is where this design is taking me. Seems cold and clunky on a plaza. If only the highline looked like the giant arbor in the renderings. Red, in this case, is striking me as lipstick on a pig.

[Jayfar]

Originally Posted by SEFTA

1101 Walnut Street.
Another thread, exciting

I totally love that this design from Jerry Roller's JKRP Architects looms over cecil baker + partners 2nd floor offices immediately next door at 1107 Walnut.

[SEFTA]

[mcgrath618]

Thread for 1101 Walnut
Thread for 3025 JFK

Edit: Yikes, I didn't realize that we were making a single thread for 3001 and 3025 JFK. Summers, I'm not sure what you'd like to do, but feel free to delete my thread if necessary.

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

Edit: Yikes, I didn't realize that we were making a single thread for 3001 and 3025 JFK. Summers, I'm not sure what you'd like to do, but feel free to delete my thread if necessary.

No problem! I just merge 3001 and 3025 JFK threads for now. Since Brandywine seems to be getting them approved together, it will be easier to keep it as one thread for now, or there will be a lot of double posts.

We had East Market as one thread for a while, and only separated them to two threads after construction started.

[El Duderino]

i’m stoked for the massing of the sonder building. seeing some slim towers helps break up the many slabs we’ve been getting lately. thank you, wendy’s - for your spicy chicken sandwiches and your lot shape.

[Londonee]

Originally Posted by dreadnought

Hi-
Long time lurker, first time poster. I've been watching with great interest how the SY development is shaping up. This building troubles me a bit.
I don't mind that it will be red. That seems to be what people are focusing on. Red is fine. It's the massing that irritates me. Top-heavy buildings like this seem, aesthetically, unlike what a skyscraper should be. It's blocky and imposing, rather than graceful.
The conditions at grade level are very nice, however - the building is raised above the ground plane which allows for public outdoor activities to take place there.
Here is a link to the architect's web page for the building.https://pau.studio/what/jfk-towers-at-schuylkill-yards/
The writing is terrible, typical architect double speak ("a dynamic tri-partite volume that flips symmetrically to become itself and dances as one moves around the city"-? WTF does that mean?), and lots of rationalizations for "echoing" other things (red like the Pennsylvania RR trains that used to run through the site, a mention of Furness' Fine Arts Building for some reason, etc., anything to avoid making its own identity, just reflecting the identities of other things.) I don't understand why they had to try to make it red because of the trains that went through there decades and decades ago - it would have been perfectly fine to say that we are making the building red so that it stands out from the other blue glass towers in the city. Old trains have nothing to do with it. But that's post modern architecture for you.
I hope this design gets refined, it could be a nice building.

A few things. I think this building, if built in its current iteration, will become an instant icon on the skyline - so it's tough to be overly critical. The view, especially as you emerge from underneath the Spring Garden bridge on 76 - https://goo.gl/maps/vsGQrLEf6oTaAFqN6 - will be stunning. This giant, red, surreal, cubist structure will be screaming something fun/playful at you (not uptight/lawyer/corporate). Secondly - that's not necessarily architectural speak - that's marketing speak - overwrought justifications for fancy new products that you probably don't need - and it's as old as time. In other words, don't worry about it.

In terms of the design, I'd add that architectural renderings tend to visually exaggerate the perspective at the top of buildings so i dont think it's going to feel quite as top heavy when built. Plus from the east/west angles the building will appear more linear, smooth, stacked. The north/south angle will be where you feel the top-heavy nature of it - but potentially the off-setting base might even it out a bit - like a Tetris block.

That said, don't disagree that an extra several story, smaller "block" on top of the current design would help it edge a bit more gracefully into the sky. And welcome!

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by Londonee

(not uptight/lawyer/corporate).

Youse gotta problem with that?

[pj3000]

Don't think I'll ever be able to decide if I love it or hate it... so it's a great addition to the skyline.