The Block / ISA

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The building incorporates an unusual approach to circulation, taking cues fromPhiladelphia’s rowhouse fabric. Minimizing interior corridors, the building relies instead on an elevated, landscaped deck as the primary access for upper-level walk-up units. The massing features apertures in both plan and section, opening unexpected views, enhancing pedestrian access, and fostering a sense of porosity across the building’s layered streetscape.Text description provided by the architects.Big box buildings sited on abandoned industrial lots can bring new retail amenities to historically underserved neighborhoods, but their associated surface parking lots can negatively impact urban street life. The Block, a 49-unit mixed-use multifamily building situated on an existing surface parking lot inPhiladelphia’s Callowhill zone, bridges that gap, adding density and supporting pedestrian walkability while taking advantage of existing car-centric development in a novel typology.The Block was developed by the owners of the single-story warehouse immediately to the north, which was previously converted to house a local brewery and big box retail. The building lines the retail parking lot’s 5th Street frontage with live/work units and anchors its parking lot side with ground-floor retail. A pedestrian passageway cuts through the building at grade, and a social terrace occupies the roof above.