After breaking ground on its first residential high-rise in Philadelphia in June 2019, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates now celebrated the topping out with developer Dranoff Properties. Dubbed Arthaus, the 47-story glass-and-steel tower sits on Avenue of the Arts vis-à-vis the city's Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.
KPF Chairman Eugene Kohn said: "As a Philadelphia native, I feel immensely proud of this project. Arthaus is a major addition to the city skyline, marking the Arts District from afar [...]."
"In plan, units are organized in a pinwheel shape around a central core, allowing each residence to occupy a corner of the building," explains the project description. "With large windows and two exposures, every apartment is flooded with natural light and offers panoramic views of the Avenue of the Arts, the Philadelphia skyline, the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers, and beyond."
The property is set for occupancy in early 2022.
11 Comments
Renderings: Wow, the first KPF building that looks half decent!
Reality: Another clunky soulless reflective glass McUrbanist "luxury" tower
Should've let some European firm design some "second rate scraps" instead ;-)
it's hard for any building to look good on a generic sunny day
I'd wager KPF just did the massing and exterior concept while a local AOR specializing in multifamily handled everything else. Developers don't hire KPF to do kitchen layouts.
Why can't KPF do it themselves? I am pretty sure that is one big sector of KPF's business. Its not like KPF is some super special boutique starchitect charging crazy rates. Just a giant corporate that pays minimum wage to overworked production employees. The glassdoor reviews say turnover rate is high, overtime without pay is common. Definitely not a firm I want to join.
The local AOR is cheaper and more experienced with multi family. For the Brooklyn condo KPF designed recently, SLCE - the king of
New York condo architects - were the executive while KPF were the design architects.
I guess there are no other options to chose from between mediocre corporate firm and C+ Euro-scraps. Certainly not any of the other 113000 other architects in the USA.
It will be sitting empty
As of March 2020, the need for the skyscraper has evaporated. They make no economic or environmental sense at this period of time.
In the renders, the building seems to glow from within. Even the metal parts. Is it ethical to present something so unrealistic?
It's better than a lot of other current KPF stuff.
it's fascinating how much passion and contempt is aroused by a nice boring clean new building. is it just because it's by a famous name firm and people can't stand seeing them doing the same kind of work they could have done themselves? it's not like this is a link to rave reviews or anything - it's merely a statement this building is designed and being built.
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