EVO at Cira Center South / 2015

ArchitectErdy McHenry Architects

Executive ArchitectPelli Clarke Pelli

Structural EngineerThornton Tomasetti

Services EngineerPHY Engineers, Inc.

ContractorTutor Perini Building Corp

Facade ContractorJangho Curtain Wall Americas Co., Ltd

This 33-story market-rate residential and amenities tower is located in University City in West Philadelphia. The area is known for a concentration of universities, colleges, and healthcare and research facilities, including the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, the University of the Sciences, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The upscale all-inclusive apartments are marketed towards the area’s large population of students and young professionals, with enticing amenities including a rooftop pool, a 1-acre (0.4 hectare) green roof park, a fitness center, lounges, and a business center. The tower stands 395 feet tall (120 m), provides 344 apartment units, and has a total area of 460,000 ft2 (42,740 m2), including 15,000 ft2 (1,400 m2) of amenity space, 4,000 ft2 (370 m2) of office-lease space, and 6,700 ft2 (620 m2) of retail space.

Front collaborated on the design for the entire building enclosure, including curtain wall systems, store front systems, highly insulating cantilevered glazed entrances, frameless glass balustrades, all-glass ventilation panels, and glazed accordion walls. The systems utilize low-iron glass, ceramic printed frit patterns at spandrel and vision glass units, operable glazing units, and long-span glazing. Highly transparent vision glass is incorporated at select locations, and is balanced by much higher performing glazing throughout the rest of the tower, which uses printed frit and high-selectivity low-e coatings to reduce solar heat gains. Front’s scope of work involved system detailing, technical analysis, environmental analysis, and specifications. Front also played a key role advising the team through the bidding evaluation and manufacturing process.