Fantastic! This reminds me of the very avant-garde skyscrapers going up in London and the Australian cities, the ones I always wish they would build here in the states, and now we finally get one! It marries that 21st-century industrial look with nods to art deco styling. Altogether a great new icon on the Philadelphia skyline. :tup:

It looks like a walkie talkie!!! :yuck:
The Comcast Center looks like a flash drive!

The original Comcast tower is great imo. This.... It looks a bit clunky and awkward.

Excellent post by MJ. Pretty much sums up my feelings.

I do love the design, and while not sold on the exterior, I feel if clad well it could really look sharp.

My only real gripe is that skyline composition-wise, the location is poor for this specific design and height. That said I'd rather learn to live with it than not have a building of this caliber go up.

Just for shits and giggles, I threw together a crappy rendering of what this tower would look like between 19th and 20th on Arch, if the ACC had been built on the 18-19th plot like originally proposed.

http://i.imgur.com/iHayGEd.jpg

I'm loving the look of it. It has a very distinct European look. Kind of hard to describe, but it seems like something you would see under construction in Russia or Germany.

very cool design

More London I would say. It looks very British, with the style and engineering being their traditional "function over form". As Americans this seems a little strange to us...

I really wish the ACC would find a way to return to a proposal again.

I don't really like this building, but I have to admit at least Philly is getting a supertall which makes it cool.......

ACC worked much better on the skyline, this thing belongs in London. This just looks out of place. add more setbacks and make it thinner then it might have a chance.

The facade isn't bad and I like the bracing. I actually like the narrow end, but I want to take a hack saw to that spire. The spire could work out, though. Will the spire have a glass facade that might be lit from within? I'm hoping it isn't a solid facade of stone or something. Blank facades always bug me.

The design of the main body of the tower is actually pretty nice.

But, that spire just ruins the whole thing. It's out of proportion, and makes the whole thing look awkward against the skyline from the views shown. It really looks like a bulky and clumsy afterthought. I'd like if someone could render this, but with a the spire more in proportion to the rest of the building, or removed entirely.

FROM CBS PHILLY

Latest News

Comcast Announces Plans To Build Philadelphia’s Tallest Skyscraper

January 15, 2014 4:53 PM

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/201...hiladelphia-2/

Video in link includes Brian Roberts and Lord Norman Foster interview.

I like this. Came as a surprise. Good for Comcast, a great job generator. We need more jobs! :cheers:

I don't see what people are griping about. Yes, the massing is bulky, but it's still a very sophisticated design, has some subtle originality, and as a statement about what an urban skyscraper can be, in a league of its own. See Inga's column today. Due to the types rather than purely quantity of jobs this is bringing into the city, I could realistically foresee this generating demand for office space in Philly from global players in media and tech. Still underused block NW catty corner to this plus SW corner of 20th and Arch, blocks further along west Market, and underutilized blocks btw parkway, broad, and vine for more large scale commercial construction. Really exviting

http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=7040


http://archpaper.com/uploads/03-norm...-archpaper.jpg



http://archpaper.com/uploads/image/0...-archpaper.jpg



http://www.designboom.com/architectu...er-01-15-2014/

http://www.designboom.com/wp-content...ignboom-05.jpg



http://www.buckslocalnews.com/

http://www.buckslocalnews.com/conten...7961967631.jpg

I have mixed feelings about the design. Overall, the impact is a HUGE net positive for Philadelphia. The temporary and permanent jobs, the expansion of Comcast (like what CNN is for Atlanta), the removal of a large surface lot, among others.

As for the design itself, it would make a big difference if only the roof was a bit taller than the original Comcast Center. As it will stand, our two tallest towers will have the same roof height. At a quick glance, it's almost like a twin.

But please don't categorize me as a whiner! I can't state this emphatically enough - this project is very good for our city and I'm extremely excited about it. Plus, there is plenty of time to tweak the design, and even add a couple of floors.

I think this is a great design. The facade and massing will add to the unique character of Philly's skyline.

It's not a spire - it's the building's core. And, yes, it will be illuminated.

The view from the Art Museum has never been my favorite as it seems to line up the skyscrapers behind each other. I wish they provided a rendering with this view:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...eet_bridge.jpg