Thirty-one-story, 163-condo residence built using steel framing

The Symphony House condominiums in Philadelphia are a dream turned reality for those passionate about the performing arts. The first condos located on The Avenue of the Arts in downtown Philadelphia come in the form of a 31-story building with immediate access to some of the city’s top performing arts venues, including the Kimmel Center, the Academy of Music, and the brand-new Suzanne Roberts Theatre.

In fact, residents don’t even need to leave the building to attend a performance in the attached Suzanne Roberts Theatre, the new five-story home of the Philadelphia Theatre Company.

Performing arts lovers are able to be immersed in their passion on a daily basis because Symphony House far exceeds current standards in energy efficiency, construction, sound transmission, security, and comfort. Contributing to these features was 500,000 linear feet of cold-form steel framing, 400,000 (or 80 percent) of which is UltraSTEEL Framing, an interior, non-structural framing product from Dietrich Metal Framing.

Originally, the interior framing of the Symphony House was designed around traditional 22-gauge framing. Before moving forward, John McTear, vice president of estimating, and Allan Moreland, project manager, for Philadelphia D & M Inc., sought alternatives and found UltraSTEEL.

UltraSTEEL is created through an internationally patented method of altering the characteristics of the base strip steel, providing higher strength capacity from lighter gauge material. The process effectively work-hardens the steel with two mating rolls, and increases the effective thickness of the material. The result is a product with the ability to offer better acoustical performance, improved fire resistance, faster and easier installation, improved safety and better finish quality at the same price as traditional metal stud framing.

Its dimpled surface has been shown to greatly reduce the levels of noise transmission through walls and ceilings, making it ideal for a multi-family residential project where sound reduction or better sound insulation is of significant importance.

"UltraSTEEL offered a better sound transmission rating than traditional metal framing options, which is of vital importance to a residential building like a condo unit," said Moreland. "And, we were able to realize a savings of $12,000 in material costs by using it."

Efficient construction, improved living

Symphony House was developed with the intention of bringing to life the splendor of buildings in Philadelphia’s "Golden Age"—the 1920s. This vision is clearly established by the building’s combination of arched openings and mansard rooftops.

The building’s eighth floor serves as a private sanctuary for residents by offering a spa, fitness center, private dining salons, and wine room with individualized wine lockers for private collections.

Symphony House offers an onsite, self-parking garage with deeded spaces for each resident and card-controlled access to private elevators. Additional security features include a doorman, surveillance monitoring, and electronic doors. A 24-hour concierge service is also available to assist with anything from safety concerns to personal shopping.

Consistently better

As demonstrated with the Symphony House, the benefits of building with steel materials, especially UltraSTEEL, are numerous. Steel is roll-formed into precise, uniform shapes with exacting tolerances for consistent material quality. Unlike wood studs, steel studs don’t warp, twist, bow, or split, which means straight walls and square corners. Additionally, steel does not rot or promote mold or mildew, and is impermeable to termites, vermin, and insects, making UltraSTEEL an excellent choice for interior framing for both consumer and residential projects.

Janice Vetter is an outside sales representative for Dietrich Metal Framing. She can be reached at 732-904-3775 or via e-mail at jvetter@dietrichindustries.com.

Project summary

Architect: Bower Lewis Thrower
Description: A 31-story, 163-unit condominium project
Drywall contractor: Philadelphia D & M Inc.
General contractors: L.F. Driscoll Co., Intech Construction (joint venture)
Owner: Dranoff Properties
Projected completion: August 2007
Project cost: $125 million