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3151 Market Street

Philadelphia, USA

3151 Market Street is Philadelphia’s next-generation life sciences building, meticulously designed with sustainability at its core with state-of-the-art lab space, premier amenities, and a prime location at the center of the region’s flourishing life science ecosystem.

Developed by Brandywine Realty Trust and designed by Gensler, the eco-friendly building will deliver the space to allow future tenants to innovate and thrive. º£½ÇÊÓƵ was engaged to provide building services engineering (MEP), sustainability and energy consultancy across the project.

3151 Market Street has been designed with sustainability at its core.

The life sciences hub features state-of-the-art lab space and a range of occupant wellbeing focused facilities, in a prime location.

We provided building services engineering (MEP), sustainability and energy consultancy across the project.

The core and shell building, which is being speculatively developed, will deliver customizable lab and research space strategically designed for flexibility.

Challenge

Located in Schuylkill Yards in the heart of Philadelphia’s growing Life Sciences cluster, 3151 Market is a new 14-floor laboratory and office tower that will offer 472,000ft² of customizable lab and research space strategically designed for flexibility and optionality.

Close to 30th Street Station, Schuylkill Yards connects Center City’s established business district with University City’s renowned academic core.

The core and shell building, which is being speculatively developed, will deliver customizable lab and research space strategically designed for flexibility and optionality, complemented by dynamic amenity and green spaces that amplify employee wellness and productivity.

The aspiration for future flexibility creates one of the biggest challenges – strategizing around MEP systems in particular to enable future growth and adaptation, without incorporating inefficient excess redundancy into the system.

Solution

Situated at the convergence of two diagonal pedestrian pathways connecting adjacent universities, open space extends up the building facade and on to terraces and porches, which pay homage to the vernacular style of West Philadelphia’s homes. The porches on alternating floors create stacked indoor/outdoor spaces that provide access to fresh air and emphasize the health and wellness attributes of the building. Tenant spaces provide a robust platform for creativity and innovation, with each floor offering attractive, light-filled space for potential research and development use.

Multifunctional laboratory designs include options for chemical and biological use, GMP (good manufacturing practice), and vivarium functions. The office and lab offerings are complemented by dynamic amenity and green spaces that amplify employee wellness and productivity. Alongside its laboratory and office space offerings, 3151 Market will include a café, ground-floor retail space, a state-of-the-art conference center, and private terraces.

Working alongside local Architectural Engineers Inc. for P/FP/FA engineering and WBE (woman-owned business enterprise) enviEnergy Studio for sustainability consulting, º£½ÇÊÓƵ is also providing energy services for the project. Upon its completion, 3151 Market Street will serve as an icon of sustainable design at the center of Philadelphia’s growing life sciences hub.

The project is aspiring for LEED Platinum sustainability and WELL certification. The building’s facades make use of photodynamic glazing, which tint in reaction to solar glare, which helps to passively reduce energy consumption by minimising the demand for mechanical cooling.

Our MEP, energy and sustainability teams, worked in close collaboration to form a building services strategy that allows for growth and future flexibility without excess waste. Office/lab tenant floors will be served by a dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) with a high performance lab energy recovery loop that connects 100% of outdoor air AHUs and exhaust air AHUs.

The tenant floors will have two shafts at each side of the core for tenant flexibility to connect to the airside systems. These include supply air, lab exhaust air, and non-lab exhaust air risers. In addition to the base building airside shaft, there are two located per floor with an accessible walk-in shaft that provides a dedicated space for future tenant specialty MEP risers.

The high performance hydronic plants allow for tenant flexibility of terminal equipment with access to elevated chilled water, heating hot water, and condenser water in two locations at each floor.

A rainwater reuse system will facilitate the extensive collection and recycling of rainwater for toilet flushing and mechanical equipment use, reducing domestic water consumption.

Value

Ranked as the fourth top life sciences hub in the nation, Philadelphia is increasingly building a reputation for its innovative science industries. As the region continues to leverage its competitive edge in life sciences, 3151 Market Street will serve the growing businesses in the sector and encourage more talent into the region.

Our multidisciplinary team worked to ensure the key aspects of sustainability and adaptability are factored into the building services design throughout, enabling flexible and efficient solutions that will help to build-in longevity into the facilities.