The Harrowgate area of North Philadelphia is a post-industrial neighborhood full of deteriorating and abandoned industrial buildings surrounded by the row homes and trinity style houses. At 3450 J Street, this former dye works, and subsequent metal works factory, was left vacant for over 20 years. At 3460 J Street, the lot was left vacant for weeds, trash, and other illicit activities. During that time, this former vibrant neighborhood emptied out and blight and squatters took over. With reclaiming the vacant warehouse and building a quality structure, the developer turned this neglected neighborhood in North Philadelphia into modern residential living and creating a safe-haven across the street from a local recreation center. Philadelphian artist, Alloyius Mcilwaine, was hired to create a vibrant, Philadelphia street-culture inspired mural to enhance the shared community space. The 150- foot wall took 10 days to paint and features vignette portraits of Philadelphia icons in art and music.

Tally software was used to document the amount of CO2e equivalent was saved by renovating the structure instead of demolishing it. This project features a 50% reduction in carbon emissions versus a new building. The roof and wood trusses, exterior brick, and floor slab were all salvaged and saved 145,000 Kg-CO2 and the biogenic carbon that was sequestered was 77,000 Kg-Co2. The project realized a 50% +/- savings of embodied carbon by reusing the as much of the existing as possible. In addition, minimal finishes were used. Leaving the existing masonry walls exposed on the inside of the building, thereby gaining some addition savings of embodied carbon.

Embracing the unique shape and segmenting the building from street to roof instead of floor-to-floor, the Modern Trinity was created with the addition of spiral staircases and unusual tiered layouts. What could have been a box is now a spacious bi-level with ample natural light and space to live. The brickwork detailing was restored to restore the original look and feel of the building. The use of the vertical trinity design approach allowed for the Cupola to be used as a study. The new building on the corner was designed specifically for a common core for the elevators and stairwells, allowing every residential unit ample light with the floor-to-ceiling fenestrations.

The building had a unique shape due to the previous use as a fabrication warehouse and the need for pulleys along the ceiling line. IS-DG was able to envision a Modern Trinity and suggesting that space for a reading nook, home office, or additional bedroom. The continuous rooftop clerestory window provides ample lighting on sunny days. As 3460 was developed, it was crucial to the layout to allow for natural light and keep the shared passageways and elevators in a central core.

Since these projects have opened, the number of other rental properties has doubled, many new businesses have opened to service the new residents, and we are working on several new projects with the same developer in the area.

Project Partners:

• Developer – Strong Hold Construction LLC
• Architect – IS-DG
• Structural Engineer – Conn Shaffer
• Electrical Engineer  – OR Denton
• Civil Engineer – Doubleday Design
• Concrete – Real Construction Group