Comcast Technology Center
{{Short description|Skyscraper in Philadelphia}}
{{about|the building at 1800 Arch Street|the building at 1701 John F. Kennedy Boulevard|Comcast Center|other uses|Comcast Center (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Comcast Technology Center
| status = Complete
| image = View of Center City (Comcast Technology Center).jpg
| image_size = 250px
| caption = Comcast Technology Center in September 2019
| highest_region = Pennsylvania
| highest_prev = Comcast Center
| highest_next =
| highest_end =
| highest_start = 2017
| location = 1800 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| coordinates = {{coord|39.9549|-75.1704|type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-PA|display=it}}
| map_type = Philadelphia#Pennsylvania#USA
| architect = Foster and Partners{{cite web|title=Comcast Innovation and Technology Centre - Philadelphia|url=http://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/comcast-innovation-and-technology-center/|website=Foster + Partners|access-date=26 June 2016}}
Kendall/Heaton Associates
| start_date = 2013
| completion_date = 2018
| cost = {{US$|1.5 billion}}
| floor_count = 61
| references = {{ctbuh|16192}}
| building_type = Hotel, restaurant, office, parking garage, retail, television studios
| height = {{convert|1120|ft|m}}
| structural_engineer = Thornton Tomasetti{{cite web|title=Comcast Innovation and Technology Center|url=http://www.thorntontomasetti.com/projects/comcast_innovation_and_technology_center/|website=Thornton Tomasetti|access-date=26 June 2016}}
| developer = Liberty Property Trust
| website = {{URL|https://comcastcentercampus.com/}}
}}
The Comcast Technology Center is a supertall skyscraper in Center City Philadelphia.{{cite news|last1=Adelman|first1=Jacob|title=Big tower, shorter name: Comcast cuts 'innovation' from high-rise's moniker|url=http://www.philly.com/philly/business/real_estate/commercial/Big-tower-shorter-name-Comcast-cuts-Innovation-from-high-rise-moniker.html|access-date=19 November 2016|work=Philly.com|date=17 November 2016}}{{cite news|last1=Kostelni|first1=Natalie|title=Comcast skyscraper construction begins; new details emerge|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/blog/natalie-kostelni/2014/07/comcast-skyscraper-construction-begins-new-details.html|access-date=15 July 2014|agency=Philadelphia Business Journal|date=3 July 2014}} The 60-floor building, with a height of {{convert|1121|ft|m}},{{Cite web |title=Comcast Technology Center - The Skyscraper Center |url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/wd/16192 |access-date=2023-12-07 |website=www.skyscrapercenter.com}} is the tallest building in both Philadelphia and the state of Pennsylvania and the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere outside of Manhattan and Chicago.
The tower is located on the southwest corner of 18th and Arch Streets, one block west of the Comcast Center, the headquarters of Comcast Corporation. A hotel, representing the highest hotel in the nation,{{Cite news|url=https://philly.curbed.com/2017/11/28/16704162/philadelphia-tallest-building-comcast-tower|title=Comcast Technology Center is officially the tallest building in Philly|last=Romero|first=Melissa|date=November 28, 2017|work=Curbed Philly|publisher=Vox Media, Inc.|access-date=November 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171129021725/https://philly.curbed.com/2017/11/28/16704162/philadelphia-tallest-building-comcast-tower|archive-date=November 29, 2017|url-status=live|language=en}} and restaurant are located on the top floors. The building's central floors are offices for Comcast software developers and engineers, and the lowest floors have television studios and retail stores.{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/29/realestate/commercial/new-comcast-building-raises-sights-in-philadelphia.html | title=Planned Comcast Tech Center Raises Sights in Philadelphia | work=Int. N. Y. Times | date=January 28, 2014 | author=Hurdle, Jon }}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/The-Comcast-Technology-Center-Is-Phillys-Tallest-Building-and-Yes-Theres-a-Mini-Billy-Penn-Up-There-461105383.html|title=The Comcast Technology Center Is Philly's Tallest Building and Yes, There's a Mini Billy Penn Up There|last=Lattanzio|first=Vince|date=November 30, 2017|work=NBC10 Philadelphia|publisher=NBCUniversal Media, LLC|access-date=December 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202032645/https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/The-Comcast-Technology-Center-Is-Phillys-Tallest-Building-and-Yes-Theres-a-Mini-Billy-Penn-Up-There-461105383.html|archive-date=December 2, 2017|url-status=live|language=en}}
Construction on the building began in mid-2014 and was completed on November 27, 2017. The first personnel began moving into the building in late July 2018,{{cite news |last1=Winberg |first1=Michaela |title=Comcast II is operational: the first round of employees have moved in |url=https://billypenn.com/2018/07/30/comcast-ii-is-operational-the-first-round-of-employees-have-moved-in/ |access-date=15 September 2018 |work=Billy Penn |publisher=Spirited Media |date=30 July 2018 |ref=billypenn}} and the tower was open to the public in October of that year.{{cite web |last1=Cineas |first1=Fabiola |title=The New Comcast Technology Center Will Open to the Public This Week |url=https://www.phillymag.com/business/2018/10/15/comcast-technology-center-open-to-public/ |website=phillymag.com |publisher=Philadelphia Magazine |access-date=13 February 2019 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190213085705/https://www.phillymag.com/business/2018/10/15/comcast-technology-center-open-to-public/ |archive-date=2019-02-13 |language=en |date=15 October 2018 |url-status=live }}
Design and construction
The lead architect was Foster and Partners,{{cite web | url=http://articles.philly.com/2014-01-17/news/46268087_1_comcast-corp-new-building-comcast-center | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140121010334/http://articles.philly.com/2014-01-17/news/46268087_1_comcast-corp-new-building-comcast-center | url-status=dead | archive-date=January 21, 2014 | title=Comcast to build second, taller Phila. skyscraper | work=Philly.com | date=January 17, 2014 | author=Fernandez, Bob }}{{cite web |author=Area Development Online News Desk |date=January 16, 2014 |title=Comcast Plans $1.2 Billion, 60-Story, Innovation And Technology Tower In Downtown Philadelphia |url=http://www.areadevelopment.com/newsItems/1-16-2014/comcast-innovation-and-technology-tower-philadelphia890239.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140118012138/https://www.areadevelopment.com/newsItems/1-16-2014/comcast-innovation-and-technology-tower-philadelphia890239.shtml |archive-date=18 January 2014 |access-date=July 3, 2014 |work=Area Development Online |publisher=Halcyon Business Publications |location=New York, United States}}{{cite web | url=http://www.fiercecable.com/story/comcast-building-12b-innovation-and-technology-center-philadelphia/2014-01-15 | title=Comcast building $1.2B innovation and technology center in Philadelphia | publisher=FierceMarkets | work=FierceCable | date=January 15, 2014 | access-date=July 3, 2014 | author=Donohue, Steve | location=Washington, D.C., United States | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707104057/http://www.fiercecable.com/story/comcast-building-12b-innovation-and-technology-center-philadelphia/2014-01-15 | archive-date=July 7, 2014 }} with Kendall/Heaton Associates the collaborating architect, and interior design by Gensler with Foster and Partners in collaboration.{{cite news|last1=Kostelni|first1=Natalie|title=Comcast chooses firm to design interior of new Philadelphia skyscraper|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/blog/real-estate/2014/09/firm-picked-to-design-interior-space-of-new.html|access-date=10 September 2014|work=Philadelphia Business Journal|date=8 September 2014}} The L.F. Driscoll Company was the construction contractor. The tower contains approximately 1.566 million rentable square feet, including 1.334 million rentable square feet of office space, 230,112 square feet of hotel space, and 2,682 rentable square feet of retail space.
A set of five tuned sloshing dampers containing 125,000 gallons of water are located in the ceiling of the 57th floor, beneath the hotel lobby. The moving water is a counteracting force on windy days to reduce swaying of the upper part of the tower. A-shaped steel braces are embedded between hotel rooms on the east and west sides, to stiffen the upper part of the building against strong, prevailing winds.{{cite web | url=http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/Engineers_on_the_rise.html | title=Engineers on the rise: Four young professionals tackle a career-making project | author=Bob Fernandez | date=December 10, 2014 | website=philly.com | publisher=Philadelphia Media Network (Digital), LLC | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171122021415/http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/Engineers_on_the_rise.html | archive-date=November 22, 2017 | url-status=live | access-date=December 3, 2017}}
Use
{{stack|File:Jean-Georges-SkyHigh.jpg "Sky High" restaurant, in July 2022, on the 60th floor of the Technology Center]]}}
The building consists primarily of workspace for Comcast employees and the Four Seasons Hotel, formerly on Logan Circle.{{cite news|last1=McDevitt|first1=John|title=Four Seasons Hotel About To Close Its Doors On Logan Circle|url=http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2015/06/05/four-seasons-hotel-about-to-close-its-doors-on-logan-circle/|access-date=25 January 2016|agency=CBS Philadelphia|date=5 June 2015}} The hotel is on the 48th to 56th floors with a lobby and restaurant on the 60th floor. Accommodations include 219 rooms, 39 of them suites.{{cite web | url=https://www.fourseasons.com/philadelphia/ | title=Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia | website=fourseasons.com | publisher=Four Seasons Hotels Limited | access-date=December 3, 2017}} The building also includes television studios, restaurants, a retail mall, and a parking garage. The entire project contains about {{convert|1566000|sqft|m2}}. The property is co-owned by Comcast and Prologis, and had an estimated construction cost of $1.5 billion.
Comcast's NBC owned-and-operated station WCAU (channel 10), along with Telemundo's owned-and-operated station WWSI (channel 62) announced plans to move their studio operations and offices from City Avenue, the Philadelphia-Bala Cynwyd boundary, to several of the lower floors of the building.{{cite news|last1=Burdo|first1=Alison|title=New Comcast Building a Gamechanger for NBC10 and Telemundo 62|url=http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/business/New-Comcast-Building-a-Gamechanger-for-NBC10-Telemundo-62-240860921.html|access-date=25 January 2015|work=NBC10.com|publisher=NBCUniversal Media, LLC.|date=19 February 2014|ref=NBC10}} The stations completed the on-air move on October 21, 2018, though some operations (such as the base for the station live vehicles) will remain in Bala Cynwyd for the time being.{{cite news|url=http://www2.philly.com/philly/business/comcast/nbc-comcast-new-television-studios-telemundo-20181011.html|title=In Bala Cynwyd since '52, WCAU in final stages of downtown move to new Comcast Center|last=Fernandez|first=Bob|date=11 October 2018|work=Philadelphia Media Network|access-date=23 October 2018}}
Gallery
File:Comcast Innovation and Technology Center - Philadelphia (by MyWikiBiz) - view of northwest corner.jpg|Construction from northwest corner, October 2015
File:Comcast Innovation and Technology Center - Philadelphia - view of east side.jpg|Construction of the concrete core, from inside the Comcast Center, March 2016
File:CITC 20160523.jpg|Construction from the southeast, May 2016
File:CTC_December_2016.jpeg|From the base of the Comcast Center, December 2016
File:A picture of the Comcast Technology Center from south west side in November 2017.jpg|From the southwest corner, November 2017
File:CTC Tower April 2018.jpg|After top-off and prior to opening, as viewed from a kayak on the Schuylkill River, April 2018
File:Comcast Centers in Philadelphia.jpg|From Interstate 76, June 2018
File:Comcast Technology Center 2018.jpg|Nearly complete Comcast Technology Center, July 2018
See also
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{commons category|Comcast Technology Center}}
- [http://corporate.comcast.com/news-information/news-feed/comcast-innovation-technology-center-press-release Comcast press release]
- [http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/business/Comcast-Tower-Building-Cam-274808381.html NBC Philadelphia's construction webcam]
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{{s-ttl|title=Tallest building in Philadelphia
{{convert|342|m|ft}}|years=2018-present}}
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{{Buildings in Philadelphia timeline}}
{{Buildings in Pennsylvania timeline}}
{{Philadelphia skyscrapers}}
{{Supertall skyscrapers |state=collapsed}}
{{Tallest building by US state |state=collapsed}}
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Category:2018 establishments in Pennsylvania
Category:Modernist architecture in Pennsylvania
Category:Office buildings completed in 2018
Category:Postmodern architecture in Pennsylvania
Category:Skyscraper office buildings in Philadelphia
Category:Telecommunications company headquarters in the United States