Joel Sanders Architect

Philadelphia Penthouse, a 6,900 SF triplex located on the 30th and 31st floors of a new residential glass tower, combines the best aspects of loft and traditional apartment living. It offers the sense of spatial openness associated with lofts and the character-differentiated rooms found in apartments. Interior partitions are set back from and never intersect with the floor-to-ceiling curtain wall, defining a perimeter circulation zone that allows residents to enjoy unobstructed 180 degree views of the metropolis below. In contrast to the spatially continuous periphery, living areas feature dropped ceilings and different material palettes, giving each room a unique atmosphere and sense of place. The walnut paneling, red upholstery and gold leaf ceiling in the dining room complement and provide a visual counterpoint to the more restrained light blue and grey tones of the living room, and the brown and deep blue palette found in the study paneled in zebra wood.

In addition to offering uninterrupted views, the perimeter circulation zone incorporates elevator vestibules, a central gallery and a dramatic two-story stairwell. The white terrazzo floors and expansive white walls of the gallery provide a neutral backdrop for displaying the owner’s art collection. The stair, featuring floating ebonized steps and a glass railing, vertically links the three living levels. The upper level contains the public living areas (living, dining room, den, kitchen, gym) and provides the transition between the lower level, where the private bedroom is organized around a wood and stone clad recreation room, and the roof pavilion, a landscaped roof garden equipped with an outdoor dining pavilion, kitchen and retractable awning for outdoor entertaining. Natural light that filters through a glazed floor in the gallery illuminates the shower that connects the his/her master bathroom at the heart of the master bedroom suite on the lower level.