bjarke ingels group plans double curved office building for philadelphia

bjarke ingels group plans double curved office building for philadelphia
image © bjarke ingels group / BIG

pennsylvania-based developers liberty property trust have announced that work has begun on ‘1200 intrepid’ – a bjarke ingels group-designed office building in philadelphia. the project is part of the city’s ‘navy yard’, a 1,200-acre urban development, which forms a centrally located waterfront business campus. the scheme’s groundbreaking coincides with the opening of the adjacent ‘central green’ park, designed by james corner field operations.

the four-storey design offers 94,000 square feet of office space positioned behind a double curved elevation
image © luxigon

BIG’s four-storey design offers 94,000 square feet of office space positioned behind a double curved elevation, which references the park’s circular running track. in contrast, its cornice is aligned with the original orthogonal street grid, prevalent in the immediate neighborhood, with apertures within the sand-blasted concrete façade responding to this curvature.

the adjacent ‘central green’ park completed by james corner field operations
image © the navy yard

‘our design for 1200 intrepid has been shaped by the encounter between robert stern’s urban master plan of rectangular city blocks and james corner’s iconic circular park,’ explained bjarke ingels, founding partner of BIG. ‘the ‘shock wave’ of the public space spreads like rings in the water invading the footprint of our building to create a generous urban canopy at the entrance. the resultant double curved façade echoes the complex yet rational geometries of maritime architecture. inside, the elevator lobby forms an actual periscope allowing people to admire the mothballed ships at the adjacent docks.’

the building is targeting LEED gold certification, and will be ready for occupancy in 2016.