Market Street has been one of Philadelphia’s most important thoroughfares since William Penn’s original plan for the city in the 17th century. Today, 3151 Market occupies a pivotal position at the edge of Schuylkill Yards, where the layered urban neighborhood meets the campuses of Drexel and UPenn to form a new nexus of knowledge and innovation. Designed by Gensler as a gateway between University City and Schuylkill Yards, the life sciences tower sits at the convergence of two diagonal pedestrian pathways connecting these adjacent universities.
At street level, SWA’s landscape design establishes public nodes for social engagement, frames gateway moments and vistas, and prioritizes pedestrian comfort. Because Market Street wraps the entire project, every edge was treated with equal care, from the primary frontages to the garage entry and temporary alley.
Special attention was given to materials and finishes to complement Gensler’s architecture while meeting public streetscape standards. Custom planters navigate the site’s grade changes, carefully coordinated to slope with the street, remain level at seating areas, drain on structure, and integrate cleanly with the building facade. The result is a ground-level experience that reflects both the ambition of Schuylkill Yards and the enduring civic character of one of Philadelphia’s most storied streets.
250 West 55th
Giant Interactive Headquarters
We collaborated with Morphosis Architects on a new ecological park and living laboratory for Giant Interactive Headquarters, a 45-acre corporate campus in Shanghai, China. The design concept blurs the distinction between the ground plane and the structure, weaving water and wetland habitats together with the folded green roof of the main building design. The s...
Marinaside Crescent
SWA provided urban design and overall conceptual landscape architectural design for this mixed-use project including condominium buildings with shops, restaurants and storefronts at street level, a waterfront promenade, a marina, parks and inner building courtyards, and pedestrian-oriented pathways linking the Marinaside Crescent Road and surrounding streets. ...
Flushing Commons
This ten-acre mixed-use development with parks, plazas, and retail will become the center of social and retail activity in downtown Flushing. Driven mostly by an influx of immigrants from East Asia, Flushing is one of the fastest-growing and most diverse neighborhoods in the US. Abuzz with shopping and socializing at all hours of the day and evening, its stree...