PHILADELPHIA | Comcast Technology Center | 1,121 FT | 60 FLOORS

[iheartphilly]

Originally Posted by Plokoon11

Worked on a rough rendering today in this pic.
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Nice...what kind of CAD software is used to do this? You have an interesting hobby or line of work...LOL.

[Plokoon11]

Adobe Photoshop. I use google sketch up for generalizations.

[shadowbat2]

Originally Posted by philadelphiathrives

Here is an article about the CITC receiving final approval from the City Planning Commission's Civic Design Review committee and many other details. Article includes photos of the architectural model and many renderings.

http://philadelphiaheights.wordpress.com...d-dramatic-development-for-philadelphia/

Found this interesting:

The top third of the tower, beginning apparently at the 48th floor, will have a Four Seasons Hotel with 222 rooms, a spa with an infinity pool (not an Xfinity pool, mind you) facing the existing Comcast Center, a top floor lobby and observation space (with trees in planters that will be higher than the tallest redwoods) and a top floor restaurant. The observation floor will be approximately 900 feet in the air, about 400 feet higher than the City Hall observation deck, and on a clear day viewers will be able to see the casinos of Atlantic City, among other things.

The hotel will be accessible by elevators running along the 19th Street facade that will have glass enclosures, allowing views of the city while traveling all the way up to the top floor.

So hotel guests will go all the way to the top and head down to their rooms. Quite stunning! (I believe the new Wilshire Grand in LA is set up this way as well)

[Plokoon11]

And because I want to keep us excited I have some google sketchup renderings of the skyline in different shots.



^ From the west.



^ From the stadiums.





^ From the east.



^ From possibly my favorite skyline view when 95 turns towards the city from the north looking south.



^ From the north.



^ Parkway view closer.

So hopefully that quenches your thirst for a day.

[Flyers2001]

The view when you are coming down 95 from the north and make the turn to 676 west is amazing. Its a close view, but it captures everything. At night it is even better.

[Plokoon11]

so June is coming up rapidly any news on when they're going to cause havoc to the parking lot soon?

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by Plokoon11

so June is coming up rapidly any news on when they're going to cause havoc to the parking lot soon?

No word on an exact date. Just sometime in June.

[philatonian]

Those Sketchup views are awesome. I'm gonna have to brush up on my SU and Photoshop skills and play around with it. The CITC really dwarfs the Verizon building from the west. I'd love to see the city from 95 coming from the South which somehow could include Camden's Skyview tower and the Chinatown community center. Not sure if that would all fit in one view.

Speaking of Chinatown, anyone else notice the liquor license application on the old community center? Very excited that someone's going to reopen that building.

[summersm343]

A tribute by Curbed Philly to Sir Norman Foster for his 79th birthday and a tribute to his most recent work: the Comcast Innovation and Technology Center.

http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2014/05/30/happy-birthday-sir-norman-foster.php

[philatonian]

Originally Posted by summersm343

A tribute by Curbed Philly to Sir Norman Foster for his 79th birthday and a tribute to his most recent work: the Comcast Innovation and Technology Center.

http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2014/05/30/happy-birthday-sir-norman-foster.php

Some really interesting blurbs in there I hadn't read before. I really hope that the concept makes a national name for itself as a unique (and perhaps only) major tech company headquartered in the middle of a major city. If it attractions attention, it will attract talent ,which equal residents.

But what I'm still curious about is how Comcast will segue into the true technological realm and what the CITC will actually house. As it is, they are largely an internet, cable, and telephone provider comparable to Verizon and Time Warner, with a similar urban footprint as Comcast.

How does Comcast intent to merge into the world of true technological innovation this late in the game? Do they intend on competing with established revolutionaries like Google, Microsoft, or Mac, or all three? What will Comcast be innovating? Comcast nearly cornered the ISP market, but companies like Oracle, IBM, those in the Silicone Valley, and Redmond have already done the same with content and hardware, and they're not slowing down. How is Comcast going to fit into this industry? Or do they plan on simply acquiring facets of that industry and housing them in the CITC?

All rhetorical questions that I suppose remain to be seen.

[allovertown]

Originally Posted by philatonian

Some really interesting blurbs in there I hadn't read before. I really hope that the concept makes a national name for itself as a unique (and perhaps only) major tech company headquartered in the middle of a major city. If it attractions attention, it will attract talent ,which equal residents.

But what I'm still curious about is how Comcast will segue into the true technological realm and what the CITC will actually house. As it is, they are largely an internet, cable, and telephone provider comparable to Verizon and Time Warner, with a similar urban footprint as Comcast.

How does Comcast intent to merge into the world of true technological innovation this late in the game? Do they intend on competing with established revolutionaries like Google, Microsoft, or Mac, or all three? What will Comcast be innovating? Comcast nearly cornered the ISP market, but companies like Oracle, IBM, those in the Silicone Valley, and Redmond have already done the same with content and hardware, and they're not slowing down. How is Comcast going to fit into this industry? Or do they plan on simply acquiring facets of that industry and housing them in the CITC?

All rhetorical questions that I suppose remain to be seen.

They are already in the game. Their new xfinity system is already produced in house. The other cable companies you mentioned simply use other companies like Motorola to make the hardware and software.

[philatonian]

Originally Posted by allovertown

They are already in the game. Their new xfinity system is already produced in house. The other cable companies you mentioned simply use other companies like Motorola to make the hardware and software.

True, but Xfinity technology is solely based in providing access to telecommunications. It's unique to that industry, but still only relevant to the market that Comcast already owns. Aside from providing faster access (how fast can it get?), where else can the technology go?

[Baconboy007]

Originally Posted by philatonian

True, but Xfinity technology is solely based in providing access to telecommunications. It's unique to that industry, but still only relevant to the market that Comcast already owns. Aside from providing faster access (how fast can it get?), where else can the technology go?

Well it can get much much faster and the innovation is more about integration with devices and things we interact with.

[MikeNigh]

Originally Posted by philatonian

True, but Xfinity technology is solely based in providing access to telecommunications. It's unique to that industry, but still only relevant to the market that Comcast already owns. Aside from providing faster access (how fast can it get?), where else can the technology go?

To my understanding comcast is trying to decouple from the coax cable at the same time companies like apple and amazon are trying to get into the TV space. Also comcast I think would like to be able to allow app development for the tv, not sure when that might realistically happen though.

[TechTalkGuy]

After many years of waiting, Philadelphia finally gets a new skyscraper!

Here's the official video:
• Video Link

[Plokoon11]

^ About time!

Looks a bit strange, maybe its missing something? Tho I love the willy wonka elevators!

[Jawnadelphia]

So I walked by the site earlier today... there's a fence around the perimeter of the lot, all parking signs are down/removed, a pile of debris in the center of the lot. No one is parking in there anymore.

Soo maybe..... possible groundbreaking this week ???

[Onn]

This tower could be better, but it isn't bad for what its worth. Exciting to see Philadelphia moving up once again! Great video!

[philatonian]

Originally Posted by MikeNigh

To my understanding comcast is trying to decouple from the coax cable at the same time companies like apple and amazon are trying to get into the TV space. Also comcast I think would like to be able to allow app development for the tv, not sure when that might realistically happen though.

That would probably be a good move for Comcast. People are really starting to cut loose from TV and switch to Netflix and Hulu. Integrating TV and the internet is a logical next step. Interestingly AOL tried this way back in 2000. People just weren't ready for it...and it was insanely clunky.

[philatonian]

Originally Posted by TechTalkGuy

After many years of waiting, Philadelphia finally gets a new skyscraper!

Here's the official video:
• Video Link

I gotta admit, that video makes me like the building a lot more than I did.