Cira Centre
Encyclopedia
The Cira Centre is a 29-story
, 437 feet (133.2 m) office high-rise in the University City
district of West Philadelphia
, Pennsylvania
, United States. Developed by Brandywine Realty Trust
and designed by César Pelli
, the Cira Centre sits across the street from Amtrak
's 30th Street Station
. The skyscraper was built on a platform over rail tracks in an area that had seen numerous development plans that had never produced anything. Brandywine Realty Trust announced its plans for the skyscraper in May 2002 with construction beginning in 2004. Construction of the skyscraper was controversial because of its location in a Keystone Opportunity Improvement Zone (KOZ)
. A KOZ is designed to encourage development in poor and blighted areas by exempting the tenants of the building from almost all state and local taxes. The Cira Centre was accused of cannibalizing Philadelphia's other office skyscrapers, by attracting businesses already in the city such as Dechert LLP. However, not all tenants came from within Philadelphia. One of these tenants included Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget (SCA)
which moved to the city and made the Cira Centre its North American headquarters. The Cira Centre was completed in 2005.
Containing 731852 square feet (67,991.3 m²), the Cira Centre is a silver glass curtain wall
skyscraper. Designed to be seen from all sides, the removal of the building's northwest and southeast corners gives the skyscraper a different shape when viewing it from different locations. The building amenities include retail and restaurant space, a conference room, a 9-story parking garage and a pedestrian bridge
that links the Cira Centre's lobby with 30th Street Station. The building features lighting designed by Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design. Creating a wall of LEDs
on most of the Cira Centre's facade
, the LEDs are able to change color to create different patterns and effects.
in West Philadelphia
, Pennsylvania
. Plans to develop the rail yards north and northwest of 30th Street Station had been around for decades. Among the proposed ideas for the rail yards included building a new city hall and, in the 1960s before Veterans Stadium
was built, a sports stadium was proposed for the area. In 1970 Philadelphia considered holding a bicentennial exposition over the rail yards, and the area was also considered for the Pennsylvania Convention Center
. In 1985 an office, hotel and shopping complex was proposed by real estate developer Gerald D. Hines
, and in 1992 an idea for a stadium was again proposed for the site. Nothing ever came out of the plans.
On May 8, 2002, Brandywine Realty Trust
announced its intentions to build a glass office skyscraper next to 30th Street Station. Called the Cira Centre, the skyscraper would be designed by architect César Pelli
. The plan also included replacing the rest of the parking deck with a landscaped entrance plaza and parking lot. The plan to develop the land around 30th Street Station was part of a nationwide effort by Amtrak
, which owns the land and the train station, to earn revenue from its real estate holdings. Amtrak's effort also emphasizes projects that would increase ridership. Also part of the project was construction of a parking garage. The nine-story
, 1,525 car garage is intended to alleviate a parking shortage at 30th Street Station. Planned since 1996, the US$50 million parking garage began construction in 2003 and was opened in May 2004.
The site of the Cira Centre sits within a Keystone Opportunity Improvement Zone (KOZ). A KOZ was designed to encourage development in poor and blighted areas by exempting the tenants of the building from almost all state and local taxes. In 2002 the Center City
office vacancy rate was 12.5 percent and numerous businesses leases were set to expire in 2005 and 2006. Owners of other buildings were critical of having the KOZ for the Cira Centre and the proposed KOZ designation for the Comcast Center
, another office high-rise being planned. The landlords were afraid that the tax breaks for the new skyscrapers would attract their existing tenants to the new buildings. On December 24, 2003 Brandywine Realty Trust announced the first tenants to lease room in the Cira Centre. Brandywine Realty Trust signed leases with Dechert LLP, Woodcock Washburn LLP, and Attalus Capital. Dechert LLP and Woodcock Washburn LLP were moving from other city skyscrapers, the Bell Atlantic Tower
and One Liberty Place respectively. Attalus Capital was moving its offices from Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
. Dechert and Woodcock Washburn moving to the Cira Centre fueled the KOZ controversy because Dechert and Woodcock Washburn were wealthy law firms and would no longer have to pay taxes for numerous years. By 2006, about 60 percent of Cira Centre's tenants came from within Philadelphia.
Having secured tenants for the Cira Centre, Brandywine Realty Trust could now proceed with construction of the skyscraper. Turner Construction
was awarded US$116 million contract to build the Cira Centre in February 2004 and construction began later that year. The building was topped off
November 16, 2004. The topping off ceremony, the first in Philadelphia since 1999, was attended by numerous dignitaries including Mayor John Street
. The beam was raised shortly before 1:00 PM and was signed by workers and guests. The Cira Centre's glass facade
was completely in place by the end of July 2005.
The Cira Centre opened on October 31, 2005 with 93 percent of the building leased. Dechert was the first company to move employees into the building with many of rest of the tenants not moving in until early 2006. Cira Centre held its grand opening on December 1. The grand opening featured a musical group called String Theory whose performance in the Cira Centre's lobby included a large harp and 12 100 feet (30.5 m) long brass wires attached to the building. The Cira Centre was the first office skyscraper to be completed in Philadelphia since Two Commerce Square
in 1992.
On August 31, 2007, the University of Pennsylvania
and Brandywine Realty Trust announced its plans to build Cira Centre South
. Located south of 30th Street Station and the Cira Centre, the new project is designed by the same architecture firm as the Cira Centre. Cira Centre South will include a 40 - 50-story office tower and a 25 - 30-story residential tower. The project also includes a parking garage and conversion of the U.S. Postal Service building on 30th and Market Streets
into offices for the Internal Revenue Service
. The parking garage and Post Office conversion is planned to be completed in 2010 and the two towers in 2012.
The Cira Centre is a 29-story, 437 feet (133.2 m) silver glass curtain wall
skyscraper. The skyscraper sits next to 30th Street Station in the University City
neighborhood in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The US$180 million Cira Centre was designed by architect Cesar Pelli. BLT Architects coordinated the design team and designed Cira Centre's core and neighboring parking garage. The building was designed to be seen from all sides with the northwest and southeast corners removed giving the Cira Centre a different shape when viewed from different directions. The building's 731852 square feet (67,991.3 m²) includes 690000 square feet (64,103.1 m²) of office space and 37000 square feet (3,437.4 m²) of conference, retail space and related amenities space. The average floor-plate size is 27300 square feet (2,536.3 m²) and the floors feature 9 feet (2.7 m) ceilings and 360-degree panoramic views. Building amenities include fourteen high speed and two freight elevators, a health club, restaurants and retail space and a conference center.
A pedestrian bridge
designed by BLT Architects crosses Arch Street linking the Cira Centre with 30th Street Station. The bridge connects the Cira Centre's lobby with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) regional rail section. The location right next to 30th Street Station allows direct access to the Northeast Corridor
, SEPTA's regional rail
and Philadelphia International Airport
.
The lighting design was done by Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design. Cira Centre's architects did not want any light fixtures protruding from the building so Cline Bettridge Bernstein decided to create a wall of light using LEDs
. The 26W RGB LED fixtures are hidden in shadow boxes behind the glass curtain wall and are obscured during the day by the building's reflective glass. The LED lights are able to be changed color to create different patterns and effects on the building's facade. Designs used on the building include a large "P" for the Philadelphia Phillies
. White 0.12W LEDs lights are also used in the lobby and building's elevators. In the lobby the white LEDs are mounted on the 50 feet (15.2 m) tall wall that separates the lobby from the neighboring parking garage.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
architecture critic Inga Saffron called the Cira Centre "a gorgeous object." She praised how the building changes shape when viewing it from different angles, describing the building as a "shape-shifter." She also praised the glass facade which she felt "helps marry the delicate modern tower with the weighty, neoclassical train station." Saffron was critical that when "viewed straight on from the south side, the Cira becomes just another staid corporate glass tower." She was also critical of how the surrounding railroad tracks and highways isolated the building.
makes 75000 square feet (6,967.7 m²) of the building its North American headquarters. SCA's office space was awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
Gold interior certification in 2006 and The Hub holds a LEED Silver Certification. Other tenants include real estate private equity firm Lubert Adler which leases 52000 square feet (4,831 m²); Mand Marblestone Danziger which leases 9500 square feet (882.6 m²) and digital forensics company Capsicum LLC which occupies 1800 square feet (167.2 m²).
Storey
A storey or story is any level part of a building that could be used by people...
, 437 feet (133.2 m) office high-rise in the University City
University City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
University City is the easternmost region of West Philadelphia.The University of Pennsylvania has long been the dominant institution in the area and was instrumental in coining the name University City as part of a 1950s urban-renewal effort...
district of West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though there is no official definition of its boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Line Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States. Developed by Brandywine Realty Trust
Brandywine Realty Trust
Brandywine Realty Trust is a real estate investment trust in the United States that buys, sells, leases and manages approximately 225 commercial properties, no more than 25 industrial parcels of land, mixed-use property, and over of undeveloped parcels. They also offer construction and...
and designed by César Pelli
César Pelli
César Pelli is an Argentine architect known for designing some of the world's tallest buildings and other major urban landmarks. In 1991, the American Institute of Architects listed Pelli among the ten most influential living American architects...
, the Cira Centre sits across the street from Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's 30th Street Station
30th Street Station
30th Street Station is the main railroad station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the five stations in SEPTA's Center City fare zone. It is also a major stop on Amtrak's Northeast and Keystone Corridors...
. The skyscraper was built on a platform over rail tracks in an area that had seen numerous development plans that had never produced anything. Brandywine Realty Trust announced its plans for the skyscraper in May 2002 with construction beginning in 2004. Construction of the skyscraper was controversial because of its location in a Keystone Opportunity Improvement Zone (KOZ)
Keystone Opportunity Zone
Keystone Opportunity Zones are specific commercial or industrial areas with greatly reduced or no tax burden for property owners, residents and businesses throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is also known as the Keystone State, hence the name...
. A KOZ is designed to encourage development in poor and blighted areas by exempting the tenants of the building from almost all state and local taxes. The Cira Centre was accused of cannibalizing Philadelphia's other office skyscrapers, by attracting businesses already in the city such as Dechert LLP. However, not all tenants came from within Philadelphia. One of these tenants included Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget (SCA)
Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget
Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget is a Swedish consumer goods company and pulp and paper manufacturer with headquarters in Stockholm. It has approximately 45,000 employees and a turnover of approximately SEK 107 billion...
which moved to the city and made the Cira Centre its North American headquarters. The Cira Centre was completed in 2005.
Containing 731852 square feet (67,991.3 m²), the Cira Centre is a silver glass curtain wall
Curtain wall
A curtain wall is an outer covering of a building in which the outer walls are non-structural, but merely keep out the weather. As the curtain wall is non-structural it can be made of a lightweight material reducing construction costs. When glass is used as the curtain wall, a great advantage is...
skyscraper. Designed to be seen from all sides, the removal of the building's northwest and southeast corners gives the skyscraper a different shape when viewing it from different locations. The building amenities include retail and restaurant space, a conference room, a 9-story parking garage and a pedestrian bridge
Pedestrian separation structure
A pedestrian separation structure is any structure that removes pedestrians from a vehicle roadway. This creates a road junction where vehicles and pedestrians do not interact.This can be considered a type of grade separation structure on the road....
that links the Cira Centre's lobby with 30th Street Station. The building features lighting designed by Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design. Creating a wall of LEDs
Light-emitting diode
A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting...
on most of the Cira Centre's facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
, the LEDs are able to change color to create different patterns and effects.
History
The site of the Cira Centre used to be a parking deck that sat over rail tracks across Arch Street from 30th Street Station30th Street Station
30th Street Station is the main railroad station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the five stations in SEPTA's Center City fare zone. It is also a major stop on Amtrak's Northeast and Keystone Corridors...
in West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though there is no official definition of its boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Line Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Plans to develop the rail yards north and northwest of 30th Street Station had been around for decades. Among the proposed ideas for the rail yards included building a new city hall and, in the 1960s before Veterans Stadium
Veterans Stadium
Philadelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
was built, a sports stadium was proposed for the area. In 1970 Philadelphia considered holding a bicentennial exposition over the rail yards, and the area was also considered for the Pennsylvania Convention Center
Pennsylvania Convention Center
The Pennsylvania Convention Center is a multi-use public facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which is designed to accommodate conventions, exhibitions, conferences and other events.-History:...
. In 1985 an office, hotel and shopping complex was proposed by real estate developer Gerald D. Hines
Gerald D. Hines
Gerald D. Hines is the founder and chairman of Hines, a privately held real estate firm with its U.S. headquarters located in Houston, Texas, and its European headquarters located in London....
, and in 1992 an idea for a stadium was again proposed for the site. Nothing ever came out of the plans.
Brandywine Realty Trust
Brandywine Realty Trust is a real estate investment trust in the United States that buys, sells, leases and manages approximately 225 commercial properties, no more than 25 industrial parcels of land, mixed-use property, and over of undeveloped parcels. They also offer construction and...
announced its intentions to build a glass office skyscraper next to 30th Street Station. Called the Cira Centre, the skyscraper would be designed by architect César Pelli
César Pelli
César Pelli is an Argentine architect known for designing some of the world's tallest buildings and other major urban landmarks. In 1991, the American Institute of Architects listed Pelli among the ten most influential living American architects...
. The plan also included replacing the rest of the parking deck with a landscaped entrance plaza and parking lot. The plan to develop the land around 30th Street Station was part of a nationwide effort by Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, which owns the land and the train station, to earn revenue from its real estate holdings. Amtrak's effort also emphasizes projects that would increase ridership. Also part of the project was construction of a parking garage. The nine-story
Storey
A storey or story is any level part of a building that could be used by people...
, 1,525 car garage is intended to alleviate a parking shortage at 30th Street Station. Planned since 1996, the US$50 million parking garage began construction in 2003 and was opened in May 2004.
The site of the Cira Centre sits within a Keystone Opportunity Improvement Zone (KOZ). A KOZ was designed to encourage development in poor and blighted areas by exempting the tenants of the building from almost all state and local taxes. In 2002 the Center City
Center City, Philadelphia
Center City, or Downtown Philadelphia includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. As of 2005, its population of over 88,000 made it the third most populous downtown in the United States, after New York City's and Chicago's...
office vacancy rate was 12.5 percent and numerous businesses leases were set to expire in 2005 and 2006. Owners of other buildings were critical of having the KOZ for the Cira Centre and the proposed KOZ designation for the Comcast Center
Comcast Center (office building)
Comcast Center is a skyscraper in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 58-story, tower is the tallest building in Philadelphia and the fifteenth tallest building in the United States. Originally called One Pennsylvania Plaza when the building was first announced in 2001, the Comcast Center...
, another office high-rise being planned. The landlords were afraid that the tax breaks for the new skyscrapers would attract their existing tenants to the new buildings. On December 24, 2003 Brandywine Realty Trust announced the first tenants to lease room in the Cira Centre. Brandywine Realty Trust signed leases with Dechert LLP, Woodcock Washburn LLP, and Attalus Capital. Dechert LLP and Woodcock Washburn LLP were moving from other city skyscrapers, the Bell Atlantic Tower
Bell Atlantic Tower
The Bell Atlantic Tower is a 53-story high-rise located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Height to structural top is 739 ft . The building encloses of office space...
and One Liberty Place respectively. Attalus Capital was moving its offices from Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
Bala Cynwyd is a community in Lower Merion Township which is located on the Main Line in southeastern Pennsylvania, bordering the western edge of Philadelphia at US Route 1 . It was originally two separate towns, Bala and Cynwyd, but is commonly treated as a single community...
. Dechert and Woodcock Washburn moving to the Cira Centre fueled the KOZ controversy because Dechert and Woodcock Washburn were wealthy law firms and would no longer have to pay taxes for numerous years. By 2006, about 60 percent of Cira Centre's tenants came from within Philadelphia.
Having secured tenants for the Cira Centre, Brandywine Realty Trust could now proceed with construction of the skyscraper. Turner Construction
Turner Construction
Turner Construction Company is one of the largest construction management companies in the United States with a construction volume of $8 billion in 2010. It is a subsidiary of HOCHTIEF Germany.-The early years:...
was awarded US$116 million contract to build the Cira Centre in February 2004 and construction began later that year. The building was topped off
Topping out
In building construction, topping out is a ceremony held when the last beam is placed at the top of a building. The term may also refer to the overall completion of the building's structure, or an intermediate point, such as when the roof is dried in...
November 16, 2004. The topping off ceremony, the first in Philadelphia since 1999, was attended by numerous dignitaries including Mayor John Street
John F. Street
John Franklin Street was the 97th Mayor of the City of Philadelphia. He was first elected to a term beginning on January 3, 2000, and was re-elected to a second term beginning in 2004...
. The beam was raised shortly before 1:00 PM and was signed by workers and guests. The Cira Centre's glass facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
was completely in place by the end of July 2005.
The Cira Centre opened on October 31, 2005 with 93 percent of the building leased. Dechert was the first company to move employees into the building with many of rest of the tenants not moving in until early 2006. Cira Centre held its grand opening on December 1. The grand opening featured a musical group called String Theory whose performance in the Cira Centre's lobby included a large harp and 12 100 feet (30.5 m) long brass wires attached to the building. The Cira Centre was the first office skyscraper to be completed in Philadelphia since Two Commerce Square
Commerce Square
Commerce Square is a high-rise office building complex in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Commerce Square consists of One and Two Commerce Square, two identical 41-story office towers high that surround a paved courtyard of...
in 1992.
On August 31, 2007, the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and Brandywine Realty Trust announced its plans to build Cira Centre South
Cira Centre South
Cira Centre South is a skyscraper currently under construction in the University City district of West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which is across the Schuylkill River from Center City Philadelphia. The location of the buildings is between Walnut Street and Chestnut Street south of 30th Street...
. Located south of 30th Street Station and the Cira Centre, the new project is designed by the same architecture firm as the Cira Centre. Cira Centre South will include a 40 - 50-story office tower and a 25 - 30-story residential tower. The project also includes a parking garage and conversion of the U.S. Postal Service building on 30th and Market Streets
Market Street (Philadelphia)
Market Street, originally known as High Street, is a major east–west street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For the majority of its length, it serves as Pennsylvania Route 3....
into offices for the Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
. The parking garage and Post Office conversion is planned to be completed in 2010 and the two towers in 2012.
Building
Curtain wall
A curtain wall is an outer covering of a building in which the outer walls are non-structural, but merely keep out the weather. As the curtain wall is non-structural it can be made of a lightweight material reducing construction costs. When glass is used as the curtain wall, a great advantage is...
skyscraper. The skyscraper sits next to 30th Street Station in the University City
University City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
University City is the easternmost region of West Philadelphia.The University of Pennsylvania has long been the dominant institution in the area and was instrumental in coining the name University City as part of a 1950s urban-renewal effort...
neighborhood in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The US$180 million Cira Centre was designed by architect Cesar Pelli. BLT Architects coordinated the design team and designed Cira Centre's core and neighboring parking garage. The building was designed to be seen from all sides with the northwest and southeast corners removed giving the Cira Centre a different shape when viewed from different directions. The building's 731852 square feet (67,991.3 m²) includes 690000 square feet (64,103.1 m²) of office space and 37000 square feet (3,437.4 m²) of conference, retail space and related amenities space. The average floor-plate size is 27300 square feet (2,536.3 m²) and the floors feature 9 feet (2.7 m) ceilings and 360-degree panoramic views. Building amenities include fourteen high speed and two freight elevators, a health club, restaurants and retail space and a conference center.
A pedestrian bridge
Pedestrian separation structure
A pedestrian separation structure is any structure that removes pedestrians from a vehicle roadway. This creates a road junction where vehicles and pedestrians do not interact.This can be considered a type of grade separation structure on the road....
designed by BLT Architects crosses Arch Street linking the Cira Centre with 30th Street Station. The bridge connects the Cira Centre's lobby with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) regional rail section. The location right next to 30th Street Station allows direct access to the Northeast Corridor
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
, SEPTA's regional rail
SEPTA Regional Rail
The SEPTA Regional Rail system consists of commuter rail service on thirteen branches to over 150 active stations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States and its suburbs. Service on most lines runs from 5:30 AM to midnight...
and Philadelphia International Airport
Philadelphia International Airport
Philadelphia International Airport is a major airport in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, and is the largest airport in the Delaware Valley region and in Pennsylvania...
.
The lighting design was done by Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design. Cira Centre's architects did not want any light fixtures protruding from the building so Cline Bettridge Bernstein decided to create a wall of light using LEDs
Light-emitting diode
A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting...
. The 26W RGB LED fixtures are hidden in shadow boxes behind the glass curtain wall and are obscured during the day by the building's reflective glass. The LED lights are able to be changed color to create different patterns and effects on the building's facade. Designs used on the building include a large "P" for the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. White 0.12W LEDs lights are also used in the lobby and building's elevators. In the lobby the white LEDs are mounted on the 50 feet (15.2 m) tall wall that separates the lobby from the neighboring parking garage.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
architecture critic Inga Saffron called the Cira Centre "a gorgeous object." She praised how the building changes shape when viewing it from different angles, describing the building as a "shape-shifter." She also praised the glass facade which she felt "helps marry the delicate modern tower with the weighty, neoclassical train station." Saffron was critical that when "viewed straight on from the south side, the Cira becomes just another staid corporate glass tower." She was also critical of how the surrounding railroad tracks and highways isolated the building.
Tenants
Cira Centre's tenants include The Hub Meeting and Event Center and the law firms Dechert LLP, which leases 245000 square feet (22,761.2 m²), and Woodcock Washburn LLP which leases 109000 square feet (10,126.4 m²). Hedge fund firm Attalus Capital leases 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²). Manufacturer Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget (SCA)Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget
Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget is a Swedish consumer goods company and pulp and paper manufacturer with headquarters in Stockholm. It has approximately 45,000 employees and a turnover of approximately SEK 107 billion...
makes 75000 square feet (6,967.7 m²) of the building its North American headquarters. SCA's office space was awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
Gold interior certification in 2006 and The Hub holds a LEED Silver Certification. Other tenants include real estate private equity firm Lubert Adler which leases 52000 square feet (4,831 m²); Mand Marblestone Danziger which leases 9500 square feet (882.6 m²) and digital forensics company Capsicum LLC which occupies 1800 square feet (167.2 m²).