In The News | Two residential high-rises planned beside Quaker building in North Philly’s Poplar neighborhood
Coscia Moos Architecture Donates to Two Local Charitable Organizations
At the end of 2018, the Coscia Moos Architecture team came together to share and discuss several worthy organizations that we could support through donations. It was inspiring to see how many groups are dedicated to helping people in need or to help people get a better start in life. As a team, we decided to support two Philadelphia organizations whose mission is to help the next generation succeed. These very deserving organizations are Mighty Writers and Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia.
Mighty Writers teaches kids to think and write with clarity through offering free writing programs and workshops at neighborhood locations in Philadelphia and Camden, NJ. In 2018, the organization impacted the lives of over 3,500 Philadelphia kids, giving them the tools to succeed in school and in life. To learn more about the organization and how you can help visit www.mightywriters.org.
Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia grants need-based scholarships to children from low-income Philadelphia families to help give them financial access to quality, safe, K-8th grade, tuition-based schools. CSFP currently serves more than 5,000 children enrolled at over 170 private and parochial schools. To learn more about the organization and how you can help visit www.csfphiladelphia.org.
626 North Delaware Avenue Passes Through Civic Design Review and Zoning
We are excited to announce that our project at 626 North Delaware Avenue is moving ahead as a mixed-use car dealership and high-rise apartment building. The project went through the Civic Design Review process and received approval during the July 10 hearing and passed through the Zoning Board of Adjustment process in August. The currently empty lot at the intersection of North Delaware Avenue and Poplar Street in Northern Liberties will become the site of a 21-story, 140,055 square foot structure with a car dealership for the DeSimone Auto Group on the ground floor, three levels of parking and eleven levels of residential use totaling 96 units. The modern high-rise will include a ground floor café within the space of the dealership, as well as a private tenant lounge and 1,866 square foot roof deck, affording residents sweeping views of the waterfront and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Inspired by the model of other urban car dealerships around the world, our design principal conceptualized a vertically-oriented design. A key feature of the design is a 6-story glass base that acts as a display case for the cars contained within the building. In unique moments, the cars are allowed to penetrate the façade and are displayed proudly on marquees above pedestrians on the streets below.
Coscia Moos Architecture Donation
We aren’t quite ready to let go of 2017 so we decided on one final act. CMA has given a donation to two local groups who we think do outstanding work; the Philadelphia Wooden Boat Factory and YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School.
The Philadelphia Wooden Boat Factory works with youth ages 14-21 from high incidence of crime areas and places them in a constructive environment to develop and apply academic skills. YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School offers young at-risk adults a high school diploma, valuable job skills and the opportunity to learn and grow in a community-oriented environment.
Be sure to check out these amazing groups and any support you can offer would be appreciated.
Mazzoni Center featured by Healthcare Design
We are happy to announce that the Mazzoni Center continues to receive recognition, this time in Healthcare Design Magazine. Be sure to check out the article here, which discusses the great work Mazzoni does as Philadelphia’s first and largest LGBTQ healthcare provider.
Drexel University College of Engineering Innovation Studio Receives Recognition
Coscia Moos Architecture is pleased to announce that our project, the Drexel University College of Engineering, has been featured in an article co-written by Principal David Moos in the latest issue of SCUP Planning for Higher Education Journal. The article discusses maker spaces as a trend in higher education and how it was effectively executed for Drexel University. The article was co-written by Kimberly Miller and Adam Fontecchio of Drexel University. The Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) is a community of higher education leaders responsible for the integration of planning on campuses throughout North America.
Click here to read the full article!
We are excited to share that this project has also been featured in College Planning & Management and Education Snapshots. Read the articles in the links below:
Coscia Moos Architecture Wins Philadelphia Business Journal Soaring 76 Award
Last night, Coscia Moos Architecture was honored to be among the recipients of the Philadelphia Business Journal’s Soaring 76 Awards. The awards recognize the fastest growing companies in the Philadelphia region. We are happy to be recognized for our continual growth and congratulate our fellow winners!
The Mazzoni Center
Our project, the Mazzoni Center, has recently been published in numerous outlets following it’s opening. We are thrilled to see the project, a 50,000 SF regional center serving the LGBT community including primary care, counseling, therapy, education and legal services, receive the recognition. Be sure to check out the many great articles on the project!
Curbed Philly
https://philly.curbed.com/2017/8/29/16161778/mazzoni-health-center-philadelphia-renovation-photos
Plan Philly
Citybizlist Philadelphia
Building Enclosure
https://www.buildingenclosureonline.com/articles/87080-mixed-use-facility-supports-healthcare-center
AIA Philadelphia
PARK(ing) Day 2017
Coscia Moos Architecture was thrilled to partner with the Morris Animal Refuge for this years PARK(ing) Day. The annual event challenges teams to convert a parking space into a parklet. Located on 17th Street between Walnut and Moravian, Coscia Moos designed an angular enclosure that served as both a park and adoption center. The day was a great success with countless people visiting the parklet raising awareness of the shelter and 100% of all the animals were adopted. Be sure to check out the photos taken by Kendon Photography and we can’t wait to do it again next year!
Coscia Moos Architecture Launches Newly Designed Website
Coscia Moos Architecture is pleased to announce the launch of our newly redesigned website, www.cosciamoos.com. The website, designed and created by Peer Pressure Creative, features an updated clean appearance with a focus on imagery and ease of site navigation. The new design offers users the ability to easily explore the Coscia Moos Architecture website while viewing our extensive design portfolio. New to the website is further integration with social media, allowing users to share news or images to individual social media accounts. The website is also available on mobile creating a universal and seamless web experience. We hope you enjoy the new website and look forward to hearing your comments and thoughts!
Coscia Moos Architecture wins AIA Philadelphia Merit Award
Our project, Hamilton Court Amenities Building, has won an AIA Philadelphia Merit Award in the Unbuilt Category.
Post Brothers Apartments wanted to build an amenities building for Hamilton Court and requested a glass box with a pool on the roof. In response, we envisioned a different concept and fashioned clay models of an angular, sculptural building. Several design iterations produced multiple, angled planes over a rectangular base. The design team lightened the massing by encasing the form in glass and metal.
The final design is a two-story, 8,500sf building. The ground floor has two, street-facing retail spaces. A 2,500sf gym for tenants is located on the second level, along with an outdoor swimming pool. A sun deck is located on the roof, overlooking the pool. Hamilton Court residents can access the gym and terraces using a staircase or elevator.
The building-streetscape interaction is a critical component of the design. The two retail spaces are enclosed in a glazed curtain wall that wraps around three sides of the building. The curtain wall stretches to the second floor, and a perforated aluminum screen veils this level. To the west, the glass panes are set vertically. To the east, horizontal glass panes are framed by deep horizontal mullions and display views of the courtyard and residential housing. At strategic points, the screen is cut back to allow views of the interior and out to the street. At night, the screen is lit, allowing the interior to glow.
Conventional columns have been removed from the street level. The second floor rests on 4 V-shaped pipe columns, contrasting against the masonry mass of the pool. The screen rests delicately on the roof, tied back on stainless steel struts connected though integral clips to the curtain wall vertical mullions. A shift in the geometry of the screen allows for stairway passage between the glazed curtain wall, screen, and steel structure.
Aqimero Opens at the Ritz-Carlton
In conjunction with LW Design of Dubai, Coscia Moos Architecture was hired by the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia to renovate their lobby restaurant into Aqimero, a Richard Sandoval restaurant. The restaurant is located in the iconic marble lobby, which is modeled after the Pantheon in Rome. The design challenge was to maintain the historicity of the space while updating it for Chef Sandoval’s show kitchen. A wood-burning grill is housed behind glass and visible from most seats in the restaurant. Aqimero officially opens on June 23, 2016.
Coscia Moos Architecture Commissioned to Design Addition to Rutger’s University Braun Laboratory
Rutgers University has commissioned Coscia Moos Architecture to design an addition to the Braun Laboratory, part of the Waksman Institute for Microbiology. The Institute, located at the Busch campus in Piscataway, New Jersey, continues to expand its research program, requiring additional space.
Rutgers University wants to limit the impact of construction on lower floors for reasons of ongoing research. In response, Coscia Moos Architecture devised an innovative construction plan. The first and second floors of the Braun Laboratory will be shut down for eight weeks while the floor slab, framing, and building systems are constructed. The interior fit-out, exterior cladding, and roof will be built after the lower floors reopen.
This project is currently in design.