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A mega development is set to change the face of West Philadelphia after Drexel University announced plans last week to revitalize a 14-acre site steps from the Schuylkill River. The 20-year, $3.5 billion plan calls for an extensive new innovation hub housing several buildings of varying scales. To be developed by ubiquitous real estate company Brandywine Realty Trust, the project will bridge educational uses with a vast supply of public amenities.
The transformative Schuylkill Yards development will be located adjacent to 30th Street Station, the city's main railroad station that services trains operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, Amtrak, and New Jersey Transit. A testament to its vivacity, the transit hub is the third busiest passenger rail station in the entire country. Its central location — sited across the river from Philadelphia's core business district — coupled with its prominence as a major transportation node, has presented a significant opportunity for a redo of the underutilized bordering lands.
SHoP Architects has been appointed the chief planner and developer of the architectural standards for the project, while Dutch firm West 8 is handling the public realm and landscaping attributes. Drexel University proposes a variety of uses for the site, including entrepreneurial spaces, educational facilities, research laboratories, and corporate offices. In the same vein as New York's Hudson Yards development, residential, retail, and hospitality-focused buildings will sit alongside vast open spaces and cultural venues. The diverse range of uses will ensure a year-round, 24/7 atmosphere. A number of existing buildings will be preserved and reworked, including the historic Bulletin Building, maintaining a connection to the past amid shiny modern skyscrapers.
The master plan envisions a new gateway to University City, where the University of Pennsylvania, University of the Sciences, and related medical institutions are situated. The multi-phased development, to be built over two decades, engages a number of important partners. Gotham Organization will be charged with the residential portfolio of the project, and Longfellow Real Estate Partners will lead the life sciences segments. Renderings of the ambitious development show a skyscraping monolith that looks likey to break the supertall threshold. We can only estimate its height as of now, but more details should be released in the coming months.
Shovels will hit the ground first for the creation of a 1.3-acre park at One Drexel Plaza, where a parking lot currently leaves much to be desired. Dubbed Drexel Square, the central public space will be accentuated with an elliptical lawn and surrounding seating. Drexel, eager to get the project moving, hopes construction of the park can begin this year.
Brandywine has long had a presence in University City since work began on their Cira Centre development. The latest phase in the project, FMC Tower at Cira Centre South, is 49 storeys of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects-designed elegance. That tower is now under construction, anchoring this budding new skyline and adding modern residences, office space and retail to the neighbourhood.
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