J. E. Berkowitz L.P. to Help Highlight the Comcast Center Tower in Philadelphia

Triumphantly rising 57 stories into the Philadelphia, PA skyline, Comcast Center Tower will not only be the tallest building in Philadelphia, but also the tallest building between New York and Chicago upon its completion, which is scheduled for Fall 2007.

Designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects LLP of New York in cooperation with owner/developer Liberty Property Trust of Malvern, Pa., the 975-foot high office tower encompasses over 1.2 million square feet. It will be the new home of the Comcast Corp., for which the building has been named.

J. E. Berkowitz L.P. of Westville, N.J., has been contracted to supply precision custom-patterned architectural glass for high-profile elements that stay within tolerances to help minimize roller-wave distortion. Viracon, of Owatonna, Minn., will supply typical block sizes for the curtain wall insulating units. The glass curtain wall that will drape upon the building's steel frame is to be glazed by Enclos Corp. of Eagan, Minn.

J. E. Berkowitz L.P. has already begun fabrication of over 165,000 square feet of the high-performance Solarban 60 low-E coated, ultra-clear Starphire insulating glass units that will be used on backlit LED corners, a 120-foot glass enveloped winter garden, the penthouse inset wall and a large two-story backlit LED cube wall that crowns the structure. According to J. E. Berkowitz, the insulating units feature gray silicone sealants to help improve sightlines.

"The precision fabrication on this project exemplifies the type of high quality of work that J. E. Berkowitz, L.P. is known for," says Robert Price, J. E. Berkowitz, L.P.'s director of sales.

These architectural elements will also help it to become the tallest building in the United States to achieve LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, the company says. Some other "green building" features that contribute towards the certification are the application of waterless urinals to conserve over a million gallons of water a year, high-performance low-E coated insulating glass units to lower heating and cooling costs and tall windows that bring in more natural light, thereby decreasing the demand for artificial lighting.

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