Ilana Steenkamp URBAN DESIGN + PLANNING + ARCHITECTURE
One uCity Square,
Philadelphia
Overlooking the plaza, One uCity is intended as the focal point of this district housing incubator spaces, maker spaces, cutting edge laboratories and office spaces for this growing knowledge sector.
My uCity Square is located at the heart of the knowledge based community of University City, between Drexel and Penn State and adjacent to healthcare facilities and research laboratories.
The design of the building brings attention to the most visible corner of the cornner, stepping up the building and providing green outdoor spaces overlooking the plaza.
During this project I was part of the core project team starting from Concept through to the end of Design Development and the start of Construction Documentation.
uCity Square
On the corner of Cuthbert and 37th street, U-City square provides an open and welcoming green public space for tenants and visitors to the precinct. Generous tree cover, level changes, seating and water contribute to the inviting character of the space and University City as a whole.
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Terraces + Details
Terraces rise up the South East corner of the facade. Amenity spaces and inter-gardens adjacent to the terraces provide the users of the building with additional spaces for interaction and collaboration and encourage a more dynamic and visible public life for the building.
In keeping with the architectural language of University City, One U-City plays on the materiality of the simple and elegant glass façade while suggesting additional layers of subtle complexity appropriate to its position as a landmark building overlooking the heart of the University City precinct.
Structural Coordination
The building’s structural bays are optimized with a spacing of 31’6” is based on the desirable laboratory size of the workspaces between columns. Due to deeper floorplate, generous ceiling heights are proposed at 15ft with a central core, maximizing light penetration.
Dynamic cantilevered spaces project over the terraces on the south east corner, creating unique spatial conditions for active amenities and striking conference spaces. Terraces and cantilevers are 15’9” in width, integrating with the structural logic of the rest of the building.