milimetdesign updated from www.e-architect.co.uk
American Commerce Center
Description
Located at the core of Philadelphia’s Center City District near Logan Square, the American Commerce Center is part of the renewal of the City’s historic downtown area to reposition itself as a premier American city. Introducing a synergy of uses at the1800 Arch Street site, the ACC will be a high-density mixed-use 24/7 commercial development comprising office, retail, below-grade parking, and a hotel spanning 26 floors. The tower’s iconic form features a broadcast antenna that rises upward to 1,500 feet.
Given the looming energy crisis and the Philadelphia’s emphasis on activating the city’s downtown, mixed-use projects serve many purposes, both environmentally and economically. This mixed-use design employs numerous sustainable technologies to reduce demand, reuse energy and recycle resources on-site. Indoor air quality is enhanced by the use of a high-performance exterior façade and cogeneration systems. Overall environmental quality is enhanced by the ACC’s maximization of open space, light, air, and views into and out of the building. Connection to the multimodal Suburban Station concourse from the lobby and street-level exterior public plaza encourages workers, resident and visitors to utilize mass transit.
Completed in 1901, City Hall was the tallest building in Philadelphia for a long time. This was dictated by the terms of a gentleman’s agreement that prohibited any structure from rising above the famous William Penn statue on top. Beginning in the early 1980s, a number of high-rise developments-namely, the Liberty Place Towers, the Mellon Bank Center (also designed by KPF) and the Bell Atlantic Tower-have helped to establish a new contemporary height and scale for the City’s skyline, further extended by the recently completed Comcast Center. The conventional “wedding cake” zoning formula that has shaped much of Philadelphia’s character has too often resulted in large breaks in the urban street wall and underutilized plazas. Through a building massing approach that prioritizes user connectivity and convenience, a cascading series of interlocking “urban rooms” create visual permeability and interconnectivity to the surrounding neighborhood. Accessed by public elevators at the ground floor, these open spaces offer retail, food and beverage options. Such open spaces also contribute to the overall activity and energy conservation at the site through greenscaping that uses water resources and
