One of downtown Philadelphia’s most desirable destinations, Avenue of the Arts, serves as a home to the city’s cultural institutions and theaters. Broad and Washington, a new mixed-use development that will serve as the gateway to Avenue of the Arts, sits at the corner of South Broad Street and Washington Avenue.
Broad & Washington’s design calls for retail, office, and residential space in four different quadrants or parcels. The 15-story, 1.5-million- square-foot complex will include more than 1,000 residential units, a 45,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market, 6,500 square feet of retail, and a public plaza and green space.
One of the biggest challenges for construction was the size of the project and the volume of equipment needed. The project team selected PERI USA for engineering support on formwork systems to optimize project timelines.
“A big challenge on projects of this size was coordinating different systems and making sure everything worked together to minimize disruptions,” said Chad Palmer, area sales representative at PERI USA. “We had a solution for every condition and were able to optimize production for the customer.”
Innovative Solutions: Maximized Safety, Labor Savings
Crews utilized PERI USA’s MAXIMO Panel Formwork for the single-and double-face foundation walls. MAXIMO is significantly faster than conventional panel formwork while requiring lower personnel requirements. With innovative tie technology, working time can be reduced by up to 50%.
SKYDECK Slab Formwork and the PD 5 Shoring System were utilized for the elevated decks. SKYDECK’s lightweight, easy-to-handle components accelerate working conditions. Early striking with the drophead system reduces on-site material components, reducing the number of deck panels and main beams. PD 5 Shoring ensures optimal site performance with lightweight systems and a small number of individual components. These shoring systems can be quickly planned and set up due to the frame system design of the PD 5 system, allowing for the implementation of large slab areas cost-effectively.
DUO and DOMINO formwork were used on the pile caps and shear walls. DUO is the universal lightweight formwork for walls, columns, and slabs. With very few parts and pieces, DUO is an investment in labor and time savings with a handset system. With smaller panels and lower weight than conventional gang form systems, DOMINO provides easy and simple handling and is ideally suited for foundations due to inset tie points and matching accessories.
Crews utilized PERI UP Modular Scaffolding to fulfill the highest requirements for work area safety. With a wide range of ledgers and decks with various heights, the decking can change direction during installation to ensure maximum adaptability for project-specific geometries.
Planners specified VARIO GT Girder Formwork for use on concrete columns. With girder wall formwork, the arrangement of the individual system components can be freely selected to suit all geometries and requirements.
Additional PERI solutions for the project included MULTIPROP and MUTLIFLEX Slab formwork, the CB climbing system and SB Brace Frames.
Just the Beginning
Construction began during Spring 2022. Phase 2 of construction is projected to begin in early 2025, and the project is expected to be completed in mid-2028.
Architect
BKY Group
Engineer
Healy Long & Jevin
