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With the opening of the new Four Seasons Hotel, the Comcast Technology Center in Philadelphia is officially complete. Rising to a pinnacle of 341 metres, the supertall is the city's tallest building, and contains loft-style work spaces and television studios for NBC10 and Telemundo62, in addition to the 12-storey Four Seasons Hotel.
World-renowned architectural studio Foster+Partners designed the stepped skyscraper, which occupies a site located between the social hub of Rittenhouse Square and the cultural district surrounding Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
A sheltered winter garden at the building's main entrance is brought to life by site-specific art pieces. The upper lobby level houses The Universal Sphere, a cinematic experience created by Steven Spielberg for all ages to enjoy. The building's ground-level northern edge is defined by a Greg Vernick restaurant, while underground connections to the city's subway network are animated by shops and works of art.
The building's central spine creates a distinctive vertical axis that culminates with a soaring blade of glass that is illuminated at night. Panoramic glass elevators and 13 three-storey sky gardens punctuate the facade and provide a consistent strand of active areas throughout the building.
The Four Seasons Hotel begins on the 60th level with the reception area. A triple-height restaurant, fully glazed on three sides, features a pyramidical mirrored ceiling which reflects the sweeping views the space offers.
Meeting LEED Platinum standards, the Comcast Technology Center employs an active chilled beam system to reduce energy loads. Office floorplates have also been designed to optimize light penetration, with automated blind systems and high-light transmittance glazing controlling daylight entrance. Green roofs, waterless urinals, and high-performance cooling towers also contribute to the building's green credentials.
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