PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: THE LAUREL

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: THE LAUREL

PROJECT NAME

The Laurel and 1909 Rittenhouse Apartments

GENERAL CONTRACTOR

Hunter Roberts Construction Group, LLC

OWNER

Southern Land Company

ARCHITECT

Solomon Cordwell Buenz & Associates, Inc.

INTERIOR DESIGNER

Faulkner Design Group

ENGINEERS

GeoStructures, Inc. (Geotechnical)

IMEG Consultants Corp. (Structural)

Bala Engineers (MEP)

Stantec (Civil)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Luxury-living in Philadelphia has reached new heights with the completion of The Laurel and 1909 Rittenhouse Apartments. Located on what was the last undeveloped section of Rittenhouse Square, the 50-story tower soars to a height of 604 feet making it the tallest residential building in Philadelphia. The L-shaped property includes an assortment of condominiums, apartments, luxury amenities, retail, offices, and a 120-space underground parking garage.

This community features 185 apartment units in the lower floors (1909 Rittenhouse) and 64 condominiums on the upper floors (The Laurel) with separate lobbies and entrances via a stoneclad entry pavilion. The floor plan features expansive corner residences, offering panoramic views of the city. The tower also includes 44,000 SF of high-end restaurant and retail space on the first three floors wrapping around Walnut, Sansom, and 20th Streets.

The development consists of two structures, a low-rise amenity building, and a high-rise tower which are separated by Moravian Street. Construction of The Laurel began with several utility relocations to allow for a tunnel to be constructed under Moravian Street. The tunnel connects the low-rise amenity building to the tower. In addition to the tunnel, a bridge was constructed over Moravian Street allowing for connection of the 2nd, 3rd and amenity levels of the two buildings. To service The Laurel and the adjacent properties, new water, storm, and sanitary services were installed in addition to communications, electric, and natural gas. Once the two structures were complete, Moravian Street was reconstructed to establish a new streetscape between the buildings with new pavers, curbs, sidewalks, lighting, landscaping, and asphalt paving.

The mixed-use residential tower was designed with a separation between the condominium and the apartment floors. The separation includes two distinct entrance lobbies and elevator banks to service each group of floors. Our team successfully navigated the logistical complexity of completing two different lobbies and their corresponding floors, which logistically was comparable to completing two separate buildings simultaneously.

The level of luxury finishes and quality in the condominiums surpasses the standard for typical market-rate residential projects in Philadelphia. The finishes include natural wood floors, solid sheet porcelain panel walls, porcelain floor tile, quartz countertops and top of the line specialty appliances. The finishes and room layouts in the apartment portion of the tower were also high level in comparison to standard market rate finishes and unique from those in the condominiums.

The design also required the development of two unique amenity programs – one for condominium owners and one for apartment residents. The condominium amenity deck is located on the 26th floor and was designed as a peaceful retreat for residents. The amenities are focused on wellness and include an indoor pool and hot tub, fitness and yoga studios, steam room and sauna, and Club Room with terrace overlooking the square. A larger amenity program for the apartments is located on the 4th floor and was designed to engage with the spirit and energy of the city and foster a sense of community among residents. Amenities include a fitness club, game room with demonstration kitchen/bar, a library, dog spa, and an outdoor pool and landscaped deck on the roof of a three-story podium.

The tower was constructed using high-strength concrete which required extensive sampling and testing to achieve a strength of 14,000 PSI. The completed building design seamlessly blends historic and modern elements, with a stone-clad entry pavilion and stepped glass and metal panel tower which is crowned by a glass-encased structural frame that is illuminated in the evening. The Laurel and 1909 Rittenhouse Apartments welcomed residents in 2023.