The Comcast Center has significantly changed Philadelphia's skyline, as it projected to rank as the 11th tallest building in the U.S at 975 ft. The construction originally began in January of 2005. The architect who constructed the design for the building, was none other than the famous New Yorker, Robert A.M. Stern. And the associate architect on the design team was Kendall/Heaton Associates of Houston. The cost of this enormous structure was estimated to about $435 million. The Comcast Center is now currently the tallest buliding in Philadelphia, as well as between New York and Chicago. Constructed on more than half an acre of landscaped park with glass enclosed winter garden and a underground transit station. The Comcast Building is located above the railway station above 17th St and JFK Boulevard in the center of Phila.
The safty features in the building reflect the lessons of 9/11 and are making their way into other newly constructed skyscrapers nationwide. The Comcast Center also has a pressurization system to keep smoke on any floor from rising. Another feature is that of the stair being an extra 10 inches wider in order for more people to evacuate at once.
Some of the extra features include a public recreational park and a new entrance to Suburban station. There is also an additional 500-seat concourse-level food court and a 120-space private parking garage. The building's design put it in contention for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating from the United States Green Building Council.
