Proposed Renovation of the Kimmel Center as part of the Master Plan

Seeking a way to expand its role as a vital center for the arts in Center City Philadelphia, the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts retained KieranTimberlake in 2008 to develop a master plan to transform its public spaces into inviting program areas at all times of the day, year-round. The master plan reestablishes the Kimmel Center as a vibrant, extroverted building with active uses and glazed walls at its perimeter, allowing a direct relationship with the life of the surrounding city. At the building’s interior, problematic circulation, acoustical and temperature issues are addressed through additions and renovations. KieranTimberlake is currently at work on the initial phase of the master plan, a new 130-seat restaurant with interior design by Marguerite Rodgers Ltd. and operated by Wolfgang Puck, in the former gift shop on Spruce Street. This addition will bring needed vitality to this public corridor while serving other nearby performing arts venues.

Read about the Master Plan in the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Philadelphia's Kimmel Center sets stage for major renovation
By Peter Dobrin, Inquirer Music Critic

Changing Skyline: Rejuvenation plan offers brighter future for Philadelphia's Kimmel Center
By Inga Saffron, Inquirer Architecture Critic

KieranTimberlake has been selected as part of an internationally experienced team including Cooper Robertson & Partners, master planners; OLIN, landscape architects; and HR&A Advisors, to develop the Master Plan for the Central Delaware Waterfront. The focus area extends from Allegheny Avenue on the north to Oregon Avenue on the south, and from the Delaware River on the east to Interstate-95 on the west. With the aim of transforming the Central Delaware River waterfront into a vibrant destination for recreational, cultural, and commercial activities for the residents and visitors of Philadelphia, the master plan will address land use; utilities and infrastructure investment; street plans; provisions for public transit; pedestrian and bicycle trail alignment, neighborhood connections, and related facilities; public access to the river's edge; and urban design guidelines. The team also includes several subconsultants in the fields of transportation, traffic engineering, planning and zoning law, ecology and historic preservation in order to address various elements of the plan.

"The Delaware River Waterfront Corporation's selection of a Master Plan Team is another big step forward in transforming the Central Delaware into a world class waterfront," said Mayor Michael A. Nutter. "Development of our waterfront is a priority for the entire city and I am particularly excited that citizens have had an unprecedented opportunity to play a role in this major project for the future of Philadelphia. Beginning with the Civic Vision for the Central Delaware developed by Penn Praxis and continuing with the establishment of the DRWC and the selection of the Master Plan team, waterfront development in Philadelphia is open, transparent, and is moving forward quickly."