PHILADELPHIA | Penn Medicine South Tower | 302 FT | 19 FLOORS

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by Pennsgrant

Next time you drive up the Schuylkill Exp. from South Philly notice the wall of 4 or 5 buildings laid in an E-W direction. Identical structures,identical widths, identical heights that come across as a 1/4 mile visual barrier to the city.

Now with this PCAM extension they are starting to do the same thing in a N-S direction. Im not even going to get into the anti urban nature of the medical campus. I'm not buying your Houston or Dallas argument- this isn't Houston/Dallas.

Back to original point. Strictly from a birds eye view there is some horrific planning going on over there.

I didn't SAY Houston/Dallas (except for Texas Medical Center). I said every single world-class medical clinical/research complex in the country (if not the world). Including those in Boston, NYC, Baltimore, Chicago, LA, San Francisco, etc. But if you want to read that as some kind of "Houston or Dallas argument" and not address what I REALLY said, then I guess there's nothing more to discuss.

[summersm343]

http://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-phill...iver-boardwalk

[summersm343]

Looks like this building is getting it's addition!

This building will now top out at 16 floors and 302 feet.

http://www.phila.gov/CITYPLANNING/PR...ignReview.aspx

Can we get the thread title updated to say:

PHILADELPHIA | PCAM South Tower | 16 floors | 302 feet?

I will pull renderings when I'm off of work

Thanks!

[Pennsgrant]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Looks like this building is getting it's addition!

This building will now top out at 16 floors and 302 feet.

http://www.phila.gov/CITYPLANNING/PR...ignReview.aspx

Can we get the thread title updated to say:

PHILADELPHIA | PCAM South Tower | 16 floors | 302 feet?

I will pull renderings when I'm off of work

Thanks!

Dont waste your time. Nothing to see here.

Man this is one butt ugly multi-billion dollar campus in the shadows of a spectacularly designed Center City skyline.

[JustSomeGuyWho]

Originally Posted by Pennsgrant

Dont waste your time. Nothing to see here.

Man this is one butt ugly multi-billion dollar campus in the shadows of a spectacularly designed Center City skyline.

Well, functional is the priority for the money.

That said, many years ago I worked at Duke Medical Center and I recently had the opportunity to go back and see the place. Wow ... hardly recognized the place. Brand new state of the art facilities that are also beautifully designed and integrate very well with the gothic architecture of the older buildings. I was really impressed.

[Pennsgrant]

Originally Posted by JustSomeGuyWho

Well, functional is the priority for the money.

That said, many years ago I worked at Duke Medical Center and I recently had the opportunity to go back and see the place. Wow ... hardly recognized the place. Brand new state of the art facilities that are also beautifully designed and integrate very well with the gothic architecture of the older buildings. I was really impressed.

They are investing Billions over there at South Campus. Is it too much to ask that the area be functional AND look good/be well designed/have some eye appeal? Even the splashy new Jetson-fab ambulatory building? All you can see from Center City is some tan stucco cladding.

Its not much to look at especially from center city viewpoint.

[miesian]

Originally Posted by Pennsgrant

They are investing Billions over there at South Campus. Is it too much to ask that the area be functional AND look good/be well designed/have some eye appeal? Even the splashy new Jetson-fab ambulatory building? All you can see from Center City is some tan stucco cladding.

Its not much to look at especially from center city viewpoint.

I wonder what went wrong? The original Vinoly building was a warning. With all the fancy architectural scholars on campus, nobody spoke up? I could have told you...but, nobody listens to ME. Vinoly can be good, but something went terribly wrong. At least it's an economic engine. The top is OK, but on top of that base? Eee

[McBane]

Forget about splashy earth shattering good design. That thing is hideous (esp the lower/older level). Far worse than the Courthouse on 7th, Homes2Suites, Symphony House, and even the proposed Museum of the American Revolution. Those designs are all just tacky. This one, I'm sorry, there's just no excuse or defending it.

[Philly Fan]

Can't wait to read what Inga has to say about this.

[JustSomeGuyWho]

Originally Posted by Philly Fan

I think your running critique of this is a bit misguided. The architecture and appearance of the Penn/CHOP medical district is pretty typical of world-class medical clinical/research complexes. Just check out photos of medical clinical/research complexes of similar world renown like Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard Med's main clinical/research affiliate), Johns Hopkins Medical Center, Duke Medical Center, the Mayo Clinic, the Texas Medical Center, UCSF Medical Center, etc. SPOILER ALERT: You aren't going to see a lot of soaring skyscrapers with breathtaking architecture. It's simply a matter of function over form. And while there's certainly room for some interesting and striking architecture (CHOP's new Buerger Center being a case in point), you aren't going to see these facilities transformed into central-business-district-style skyscraper cores. That's just not the nature of the beast.

So while I certainly understand criticism of the designs of some of the individual buildings and additions being constructed by Penn Medicine and/or CHOP, I think that condemnation of the configuration of that entire complex is, as I said, misguided, and misplaced.

Unless, of course, you don't think that there should be a world-class medical clinical/research complex, or a world-renowned Ivy League university for that matter (since you've expressed displeasure with the location of Penn Park), so close to Center City. But I suspect that you'd get A LOT of pushback to that position.

I really don't understand your position (that you've stated before) ... which sounds to me like, if you don't like it then suck it (because we are a "world-renowned university"). Whatever. The fields at Penn Park weren't even part of Penn until relatively recently. Penn's a great school, no doubt, and an integral part of Philadelphia's future but that doesn't mean he isn't allowed to have an opinion about how that land is being utilized.

[Johnland]

Originally Posted by summersm343

http://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-phill...iver-boardwalk

With the river now sporting major skylines on both banks, I'd love to see all the weedy trees removed and the embankments cleaned. Not a major investment, just basic maintence and cleaning. It would do alot to enhance the whole river scene.

[hammersklavier]

Agreed!

Though I'd take it one step further: I'd also go about planting native trees that help fix the embankment in perpetuity. I'm thinking something like a native version of a mangrove. I'm not a horticulturist, though, so maybe I'm just talking out of my ass.

[SJPhillyBoy]

Someone called this building functional? In addition to being hideous, can you imagine being a patient and having an appointment and coming to this building? What would the directions be to get where they have to go? It can't be simple, and definitely not functional.

[josef]

Originally Posted by hammersklavier

Agreed!

Though I'd take it one step further: I'd also go about planting native trees that help fix the embankment in perpetuity. I'm thinking something like a native version of a mangrove. I'm not a horticulturist, though, so maybe I'm just talking out of my ass.

No way, I'd love to see this. Hell, build out a bit into the river and hide the expressway from view entirely.

That reminds me, whatever happened to these plans for just a few blocks away up against the highway between Market and Chestnut? I can't for the life of me think of the right search terms to find it again, but I thought there was a plan to make this concrete area look better with green space and trees: https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9539.../data=!3m1!1e3 Am I crazy? Wasn't that a thing a while ago?

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by JustSomeGuyWho

I really don't understand your position (that you've stated before) ... which sounds to me like, if you don't like it then suck it (because we are a "world-renowned university"). Whatever. The fields at Penn Park weren't even part of Penn until relatively recently. Penn's a great school, no doubt, and an integral part of Philadelphia's future but that doesn't mean he isn't allowed to have an opinion about how that land is being utilized.

I don't intend to beat this poor dead horse anymore , but since you stated that you don't understand my position, let me attempt to clarify:

I never said that "he isn't allowed to have an opinion about how that land is being utilized." In fact, what I literally said to Pennsgrant was: "Well, you're entitled to your opinion, . . . " (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=1212). He repeatedly has expressed, somewhat pejoratively, that this land should be the site of a major league ballpark and skyscrapers, instead of Penn Park and the Penn/CHOP clinical/research complex. I disagree, and believe that his assessment significantly underestimates Penn's and CHOP's contributions to that location in particular, and to the city's economy and reputation in general.

Hope that makes it a bit clearer, but I suspect that everyone else has just about had their fill of this discussion.

And with that, it's Miller Time!

[Flyers2001]

[mmikeyphilly]

Originally Posted by McBane

Forget about splashy earth shattering good design. That thing is hideous (esp the lower/older level). Far worse than the Courthouse on 7th, Homes2Suites, Symphony House, and even the proposed Museum of the American Revolution. Those designs are all just tacky. This one, I'm sorry, there's just no excuse or defending it.

Yeah, in all honesty it's pretty ugly. In fact, every time I drive by on the Schuylkill Expressway, for some reason I ALWAYS think, there's one of the City's incinerator plants, (Like on Delaware at Spring Garden), and then I say oh my no, that's part of Penn. Gee, that's pretty bad!

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by mmikeyphilly

Yeah, in all honesty it's pretty ugly. In fact, every time I drive by on the Schuylkill Expressway, for some reason I ALWAYS think, there's one of the City's incinerator plants, (Like on Delaware at Spring Garden), and then I say oh my no, that's part of Penn. Gee, that's pretty bad!

Incinerator plant? Are you talking about the old Hollenback Center?



That actually was built as a power plant back in 1924, but has been used by Penn for offices and the NROTC for many decades.

The PCAM South Tower under construction, on the other hand, may have the "aesthetic" (if you can call it that ) of a (rather ugly) suburban office park, but I don't see any resemblance to an incinerator plant, unless I'm not getting your meaning.

[mmikeyphilly]

Yeah, that's it. Whatever it is, it just reminds me of it. The bulk and the mass, and just the eye sore of it. Sorry, it just looks like a trash incinerator or one of those old storage houses like in "Robocop", lol


Edit: Actually on second look, this may not be it. I must have been dreaming this. That is the Hollenback Center, but that's at 3000 South St. I said at Delaware & Spring Garden.

[mmikeyphilly]

Here we go,

More like this....

http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoAr...assetId=109951


Edit: I wasn't dreaming after all. THIS is what it reminds me of.