the comcast corporation has big plans for philly...
started in january and continuing through the fall of 2007, developer liberty property trust (liberty one, the kimmel center) along with architect robert a.m. stern (10 rittenhouse) are working on philly's newest, tallest building- the comcast center. at an estimated cost of $465m the 57 story comcast headquarters will come complete with a 1/2 acre park, new suburban station train terminal, as well as a giant, overscaled atrium. if that wasn't enough of an undertaking, the parties involved want to also make it the world's tallest green building. a platinum designation by the leading certification body, leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED), would make the comcast center not only superbly efficient and unobtrusive, but also bring a great deal of attention (and money) to the philadelphia marketplace.
there's a certain fad quality to the green movement, but in the end, it IS good design afterall. green principles seek to:
while no stranger to controversy, the comcast project is again confronted with opposition: the local plumber's union refuses to install the "environmentally-friendly waste systems" (reads: toilets) needed to achieve eco-friendly status. apparently, the cost for installing the commodes is less than that of regular systems, which means less money for the disgruntled plumbers. L&I has voiced their own (really, quite inane) concerns that the waterless toilets may not be safe, despite their continued use in facilities around the world, including our own lovely state capital buildings.
city officials as well as local union reps stonewalled the inquirer with "no comments" all around, but the fight ticket of state government/big industry vs local officals/trade unions ensures this will no doubt be knock-down, drag-out match.
enjoy the show!
inquirer article #1
inquirer article #2
comcast center stats via philly skyline (great pics)
treehugger.com's editorial
LEED homepage
an interesting twist
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