Located in the heart of the city directly in front of City Hall is HDR’s new office in Philadelphia. Home to an interdisciplinary practice with expertise in both architecture and engineering, the new space sets the stage for a collaborative work environment amidst sweeping views of Philadelphia's iconic landmarks.
“We see definite advantages in terms of being able to provide a wider range of services for our clients,” says Elizabeth Mahon, AIA, LEED AP, Managing Principal of Philadelphia’s architecture team. “We have the best of both worlds: a small, design-focused practice with the resources of a large global firm.”
Elizabeth and Design Director Dan Rew are involved with building teams, developing relationships with clients and local institutions and leading projects. Among Elizabeth’s goals is to create a culture of collaboration and design excellence, which mirrors the firm’s aspirations as a whole.
At the helm of the engineering team is Michael Crall, Area Manager, who notes that his team is providing a broader range of engineering services as well.
“Since 2003, HDR has shown our commitment to southeastern Pennsylvania by establishing multiple office locations to meet our clients’ evolving needs,” Michael says. “The new Philadelphia office brings the total number in the Commonwealth to five. Our Philadelphia team offers a diverse range of skills, and we look forward to expanding our services in the rail/transit, traffic, highway, energy, ADA, environmental, water, bridge/structure and port/marine engineering market sectors.”
A grand opening celebration for the new office was held recently with approximately 100 people in attendance, including key architecture and engineering clients. Among them were representatives of Penn Medicine, for which Philadelphia’s architecture team, along with Foster and Partners, is designing a 1.5 million-square-foot new patient pavilion. The team is currently working out of a colocation space in West Philadelphia near Penn Medicine’s campus. Some of the team members will eventually transition to HDR’s Philadelphia office, adding a wealth of healthcare architecture experience to its resume.
