The Summit at
Drexel University
Architectural System
SITE
The site is bound by Lancaster Avenue to the North, 34th Street to the East, and Warren Street to the South. The boundary on the west is the pre-existing Community Education Center. Previously, Drexel University's Hess Labs resided in the space, but was demolished before beginning construction operations on the Summit building. The building footprint consumes 64,923 SF of the site area.
BUILDING DATA
The Summit has a total interior area of 585,328 SF. It contains 463,589 SF of residential space ranging from the second to the twenty-fourth floors. The breakdown of the complete building area is shown to the left.
ENVELOPE
The building envelope is comprised of several different materials. The facade of the North wing that extends up to the ninth floor has a brick finish in some areas and a bare precast concrete finish in others. This was chosen primarily for aesthic appeal. The tower portion of the Summit has a curtainwall facade. About half is a complete glass finish and the other half has orthogonal metal paneling around glass windows. Aluminum-framed curtain wall is the building scheme of choice here because it is a sleek, light-weight alternative to concrete or steel. The weight of the material for such an irregular-shaped tower is important in the effort to minimize the impact of loading on the foundation. The ground level exoskeleton has a series of intersecting steel beams and columns that support the southeast corner of the building at the dining area.