PHILADELPHIA | FMC Tower @ Cira Centre South | 736 FT | 49 FLOORS

[summersm343]

5/28/17

Nearing the end on this one. It's been a long but lovely time covering the construction of this beautiful beast

[Mr Saturn64]

This one is listed as "built" on the diagrams.

[Jawnadelphia]

[IMG]IMG_8896 by christinecardelliphotography, on Flickr[/IMG]

[McBane]

I would rank this building 4/5. I get Inga's complaints about the surrounding area at street level but that's really a city issue and it is something that needs to be resolved.

1) Atrocious - A smidge better than a parking lot. Examples include the Perelman Building, Penn Center House, Home2Suites

2) Poor - Ugly architecture but with a few redeeming qualities. Examples include the Symphony House, 1919 Market, Waterfront Square

3) Decent - Satisfactory, not terribly offensive but nothing special either. Examples include the Summit, 3737 Chestnut, 2116 Chestnut

4) Very nice - A solid, well designed building. Examples include Comcast Center, St. James, Buerger Center

5) Spectacular - Jaw dropping "wow!" and very rare in new construction. Examples include the Mormon Temple, the Bridge (likely), Mandeville Place (boo!)

[Mr Saturn64]

The Perelman Building? That's part of the Art Museum? Is there a different Perelman Building?

[McBane]

Originally Posted by Mr Saturn64

The Perelman Building? That's part of the Art Museum? Is there a different Perelman Building?

Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine. That really awful horrific Penn Hospital building designed by Rafael Viñoly for a whopping $302m but looks like a mashup of various buildings and styles lumped together like a piece of shit.

[Jawnadelphia]

It's a 5 to me on your scale! St. James isn't a 4 to me. The Bridge is cool, and probably a 4 overall. This building, especially at its location is quite impressive, and likes to show off, at night, daytime... different vibes.. lots of bravado.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by TallCoolOne

It's a 5 to me on your scale! St. James isn't a 4 to me. The Bridge is cool, and probably a 4 overall. This building, especially at its location is quite impressive, and likes to show off, at night, daytime... different vibes.. lots of bravado.

I'd call it a 4. Perhaps 4.5. But I don't think any new construction buildings in Philly are 5s. The following are 5s to me: Tower Verre, 111 W. 57th Street, 520 Park Avenue. If we're going glassy, perhaps 111 Murray Street or 181 Freemont, or Salesforce. I'd say this, Comcast, the Mormon Temple, the Bridge, and maybe the W are all solid 4s to 4.5s. I hope that we see a 5 with some the Schuylkill Yards buildings or maybe Scannapieco 3.0. But I don't know that even a Scannapieco tower in Philly will use materials of high enough quality to reach a 5.

[Jawnadelphia]

^I agree. I thought the list was a Philly-only list.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by jsbrook

I'd call it a 4. Perhaps 4.5. But I don't think any new construction buildings in Philly are 5s. The following are 5s to me: Tower Verre, 111 W. 57th Street, 520 Park Avenue. If we're going glassy, perhaps 111 Murray Street or 181 Freemont, or Salesforce. I'd say this, Comcast, the Mormon Temple, the Bridge, and maybe the W are all solid 4s to 4.5s. I hope that we see a 5 with some the Schuylkill Yards buildings or maybe Scannapieco 3.0. But I don't know that even a Scannapieco tower in Philly will use materials of high enough quality to reach a 5.

If Scannapieco is going to try to continue to charge people $2,000 a square foot, he needs to hire a real architect. He has the potential to make his buildings so much more than they are.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by TallCoolOne

^I agree. I thought the list was a Philly-only list.

Lol. Not trying to make this a city v. city thing. (Dont' hit me Summers). I just can't evaluate buildings from different cities on different scales. I look at them all on the same scale. If a particular city only has Level 4 buildings, so be it...

FMC is certainly an impressive building in its own right, though. Modern done right.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

If Scannapieco is going to try to continue to charge people $2,000 a square foot, he needs to hire a real architect. He has the potential to make his buildings so much more than they are.

I hope so. The thing is, most buyers only care about the inside. Even the people that can afford the very best. At some point, it's usually the developer that obtains enough prominence that they want to create a signature building. For commercial buildings, it can also be driven by the anchor tenant. But not usually residential. So, if Scannapienco thinks he can get away with the added costs of top notch materials and a top architect with a top design here -- with all the added cost that comes from those things -- I really hope he does on this one.

I'm going to move on, though, since getting off-topic for FMC.

[City Wide]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

If Scannapieco is going to try to continue to charge people $2,000 a square foot, he needs to hire a real architect. He has the potential to make his buildings so much more than they are.

My guess is as long as he can find buyers at his prices in buildings designed by less then then top flight architects then he will stay the path; too bad, it would be good to see a truly carefully designed condo here in Philly.

[Larry King]

Cecil baker is his designing next one again, kinda doubt he would switch it up since the first two were hits. I'd like to see something like 56 Leonard get built here but i think the general consensus is that our region's wealthy people have conservative taste. You see much more experimental stuff in the sub $1mm market.

[Mr Saturn64]

Originally Posted by McBane

Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine. That really awful horrific Penn Hospital building designed by Rafael Viñoly for a whopping $302m but looks like a mashup of various buildings and styles lumped together like a piece of shit.

Oh. That makes sense now. The Art Museum's Perelman Building is actually quite nice.

Anyway, I agree that this building is a definite 4, if we're going to go by that scale. The Mormon Temple, the Alexander, and CTC are clear 5s in my book. I don't like the Bridge as much as most people on this forum do, but I'd probably give it a 3 overall. I like it more in real life than in renderings. 1911 Walnut and, if by some miracle, SLS, are probably also solid 4s for me.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by Larry King

Cecil baker is his designing next one again, kinda doubt he would switch it up since the first two were hits. I'd like to see something like 56 Leonard get built here but i think the general consensus is that our region's wealthy people have conservative taste. You see much more experimental stuff in the sub $1mm market.

Not likely. But an art deco stunner using real limestone would do just fine. Not expecting that either. Oh, yeah, FMC...

Summers, I wonder if you could -- as mod -- redirect posts that get too off-topic to the General forum. As I think this is a worthwhile conversation. Just not really here...

[McBane]

I'd also like to give bonus points for FMC for its nightime lighting scheme. Looks really great!

[Jawnadelphia]

[IMG]Orange Sunset Orange FMC Tower by Tom Ipri, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]FMC Tower, Helicopter, and Sunset by Tom Ipri, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Philadelphia Skyline May 2017 by Darryl Moran, on Flickr[/IMG]

[Blumengruss]

I loved watching this building go up. I could tell that it was going to contribute a lot to Philadelphia's skyline.

That is, until, the big "FMC" got slapped onto it. I couldn't believe it. You hire one of the world's BEST architects, Cesar Pelli (Petronas Towers, etc...), and then you glue some giant red letters on it.

Of course the IBX tower here in Philly also has a big logo on it, but that building looked bad to start with. At least the logo takes your eye off the building, there.

What a waste. I hope someone comes up with a new kind of Proactiv to smear on this case of architectural acne.

[Mr Saturn64]

Personally, I think the logo actually looks good up there. Especially at night when it's incorporated into the lighting, which as we've established, looks amazing.