flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

BIG’s design for Philadelphia Navy Yard defies gravity

Office Buildings

BIG’s design for Philadelphia Navy Yard defies gravity

The optical illusion was inspired by the circular running track of the park adjacent to the site.


By BD+C Staff | July 15, 2015
BIG’s design for Philadelphia Navy Yard defies gravity

The new structure will be part of a new mixed-use campus on Philadelphia’s historic Navy Yard. Renderings courtesy of Bjarke Ingels Group + Luxigon.

Ground has broken for 1200 Interpid, a 94,000-sf office building designed by BIG at Philadelphia’s historic Navy Yard, ArchDaily reports. The project is commissioned by Liberty Property Trust and will mark the developer’s 14th project at Navy Yards, a 1200-acre office park.

Inhabitat describes the building’s design as “an optical illusion,” as the four-story structure appears to be leaning. To date, only rendering’s of the building’s exterior have been circulated.

The $35 million project will be built adjacent to a five-acre park called Central Green. BIG’s gravity-defying structure will be part of a mixed-used campus being developed by Liberty Property Trust.

From the architects:

“1200 Interpid will be a LEED Gold office building shaped by the encounter between Robert Stern’s master plan of rectangular city blocks and James Corner’s iconic, circular Central Green Park.

The building’s double curved, pre-cast concrete façade bows inwards to create a generous urban canopy that responds to the ‘shock wave’ of the park’s circular running track, activity pods, and planting vignettes—rippling outwards like rings in water to invade the building’s footprint. Shaped by the city grid, the cornice and remaining elevations return to the orthogonal design of the master plan, forming the building’s double curve and melding the neighborhood’s two dominant forms.

Referencing the Navy Yard’s maritime history while providing much needed natural light, a functioning periscope penetrates the core of the building, projecting views of the Navy Yard basin into the center of the elevator lobby. Visitors and employees will be able to admire the mothballed ships sitting in the adjacent docks, while embracing Central Green Park—connecting the building and its inhabitants to their surroundings.”

Renderings courtesy of Bjarke Ingels Group

Renderings courtesy of Bjarke Ingels Group

Renderings courtesy of Bjarke Ingels Group

Renderings courtesy of Bjarke Ingels Group

Renderings courtesy of Bjarke Ingels Group

Renderings courtesy of Bjarke Ingels Group

Related Stories

Office Buildings | Mar 8, 2024

Conference room design for the hybrid era

Sam Griesgraber, Senior Interior Designer, BWBR, shares considerations for conference room design in the era of hybrid work.

Office Buildings | Mar 5, 2024

Former McDonald’s headquarters transformed into modern office building for Ace Hardware

In Oak Brook, Ill., about 15 miles west of downtown Chicago, McDonald’s former corporate headquarters has been transformed into a modern office building for its new tenant, Ace Hardware. Now for the first time, Ace Hardware can bring 1,700 employees from three facilities under one roof.

Designers | Feb 23, 2024

Coverings releases top 2024 tile trends

In celebration of National Tile Day, Coverings, North America's leading tile and stone exhibition, has announced the top 10 tile trends for 2024.

High-rise Construction | Feb 23, 2024

Designing a new frontier in Seattle’s urban core

Graphite Design Group shares the design for Frontier, a 540,000-sf tower in a five-block master plan for Seattle-based tech leader Amazon.

MFPRO+ News | Feb 15, 2024

UL Solutions launches indoor environmental quality verification designation for building construction projects

UL Solutions recently launched UL Verified Healthy Building Mark for New Construction, an indoor environmental quality verification designation for building construction projects.

Office Buildings | Feb 13, 2024

Creating thoughtful tech workplace design

It’s important for office design to be inspiring, but there are some practical principles that can be incorporated into the design of real-world tech workplaces to ensure they convey an exciting, sophisticated allure that accommodates progressive thinking and inventiveness.

Urban Planning | Feb 5, 2024

Lessons learned from 70 years of building cities

As Sasaki looks back on 70 years of practice, we’re also looking to the future of cities. While we can’t predict what will be, we do know the needs of cities are as diverse as their scale, climate, economy, governance, and culture.

Industry Research | Jan 31, 2024

ASID identifies 11 design trends coming in 2024

The Trends Outlook Report by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) is the first of a three-part outlook series on interior design. This design trends report demonstrates the importance of connection and authenticity.

Giants 400 | Jan 29, 2024

Top 80 Office Core and Shell Engineering Firms for 2023

Jacobs, WSP, Alfa Tech Consulting Engineers, Thornton Tomasetti, and Burns & McDonnell top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest office core and shell engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.

Giants 400 | Jan 29, 2024

Top 140 Office Core and Shell Architecture Firms for 2023

Gensler, Stantec, Page Southerland Page, Perkins&Will, and NBBJ top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest office core and shell architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category



Sustainable Design and Construction

Northglenn, a Denver suburb, opens a net zero, all-electric city hall with a mass timber structure

Northglenn, Colo., a Denver suburb, has opened the new Northglenn City Hall—a net zero, fully electric building with a mass timber structure. The 32,600-sf, $33.7 million building houses 60 city staffers. Designed by Anderson Mason Dale Architects, Northglenn City Hall is set to become the first municipal building in Colorado, and one of the first in the country, to achieve the Core certification: a green building rating system overseen by the International Living Future Institute.


MFPRO+ News

San Francisco unveils guidelines to streamline office-to-residential conversions

The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection announced a series of new building code guidelines clarifying adaptive reuse code provisions and exceptions for converting office-to-residential buildings. Developed in response to the Commercial to Residential Adaptive Reuse program established in July 2023, the guidelines aim to increase the viability of converting underutilized office buildings into housing by reducing regulatory barriers in specific zoning districts downtown. 

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021