It's been over six months since we last delivered a front page construction update on Philadelphia's tallest tower-to-be. In January, the steel floor plates were naked, having not yet received pieces of the unitized curtain wall system with stainless steel screen cladding. Developed by Liberty Property Trust, the Comcast Innovation and Technology Center has made significant progress towards its 59-storey apex.

Rendering of the Comcast Innovation and Technology Center, image via Foster + Partners

Rising 342 metres (1,121 feet) above 1800 Arch Street in the downtown core, the supertall structure serves as a companion development to the 2008-built Comcast Center. Featuring a design by world famous architects Foster + Partners, the building incorporates the trademark cross-braced facade that has come to typify his creations. Stepping inwards as it ascends, the tower culminates with a series of illuminated glass piers that form a distinct spire in the Philadelphia skyline.

The Comcast Innovation and Technology Center appears in the skyline, image by Flickr user Tyler Sprague via Creative Commons

Television studios for the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) will be situated at the base of the building below a luxury Four Seasons hotel equipped with about 200 rooms. Over 1.33 million square feet of rentable office space — defined by its flexible openness — is slated to comprise the majority of the tower. Tenants won't have to forgo their panoramic views of the city once they step into the elevator. Glass cabs at the corners of the tower continue to provide vertigo-inducing vistas to workers on the way to and from their offices.

Concrete core climbing at the Comcast Innovation and Technology Center, image by Flickr user Alexis Lewis via Creative Commons

Dedicated state-of-the-art spaces for collaboration in the form of over a dozen three-storey sky gardens embolden the project's workplace amenities. Seeking LEED Platinum certification, the development's environmental performance and interior functionality combine the best of both worlds. Cladding continues to climb up the tower as the concrete core approaches the roof of the Comcast Center just one block away. 

Cladding assembly on the Comcast Innovation and Technology Center, image by Flickr user Alexis Lewis via Creative Commons

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