American Loft Building

Can you describe your design process for the building?

The 61,000 sf American Loft building features a "green" sloping parking lot, which slides or slopes under the building to reveal the equally sloping curved bottom of the building. The parking lot is designed as a green park, with trees and grass-crete surfaces. The concept of interlocking L-shapes which form the overall building allows for continuous bands of curtainwall tracking all sides of the tower, which open out on generous balconies on all floors. As the building is completely built from natural materials, it will be low-maintenance and low energy use.

How does the building compare to other projects in your office, be it the same or other building types?

This was a residential tower for affordably priced apartments, so it was a very interesting challenge! As it is located in Philadelphia, it was nice to actually have a site and a site strategy.

How does the building relate to contemporary architectural trends, be it sustainability, technology, etc.?

It was built from mostly local materials and requires very little maintenance. It has a very high insulation level, which will make for a building which uses very little energy.

The site is made from grass-crete which is a great storm water management for the site.

Are there any new/upcoming projects in your office that this building’s design and construction has influenced?

We work mostly on sustainable buildings. The site strategy was a great inspiration and it was nice to develop split-level entrances for the different users of the building.

E-mail interview conducted by John Hill