Fueled by its fast-rising international reputation, KieranTimberlake is growing domestically. The acclaimed architecture firm is renovating a long-vacant industrial building in Philadelphia's Northern Liberties neighborhood as its new home.
The firm acquired the 60,000-square-foot, former Henry F. Ortlieb Company Bottling House in the fall and expects to move in by early 2014.
The streamlined 1948 structure offers critical amenities, says principal Stephen Kieran, including the expansive second floor, an open loft workspace with elbow room for 90-plus design professionals, and a skylight and factory strip windows that flood the building with natural light. Very important, adds Kieran, is the former loading dock that is being converted to shop space to accommodate the full-scale models – some over one-story tall – that the firm uses to test building materials and systems and for other research.
The bustling, mixed-use Northern Liberties location is also part of the appeal, says Kieran, as is “the opportunity to take a derelict building in the city and bring it back to life.”
KieranTimberlake is working to get the building placed on the National Register of Historic Places and is also incorporating sustainable design features, including day lighting and passive mechanical systems, that it hopes will merit LEED certification.
KieranTimberlake was founded in 1984 and has especially emerged in recent years as a big-name firm with major awards and high-profile commissions including the new U.S. Embassy in London. “The recession was relatively short for us,” says Kieran, who says the firm has been hiring as many as 25 annually. He anticipates a “few more positions” in the foreseeable future.
Source: Stephen Kieran, KieranTimberlake
Writer: Elise Vider