A $50 million Homewood Suites by University City Hilton opened today in Philadelphia, PA. Located at 4109 Walnut Street, in the heart of the University City District, the 110,000 square foot, 11-story extended stay hotel will feature 136 suites catering to medical professionals, patients and their families associated with the University of Pennsylvania, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Penn Medicine and other academic and medical facilities in the area, as well as to the general public.

Working with Alesker Dundon Architects, Urban Engineers (Urban) provided Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection (MEP/FP) engineering, including LEED® Energy Simulation, state-of-the-art room controls, and audio/video, information technology, and security systems for the new building.

The hotel is an example for progressive sustainable architecture within the hospitality industry. The facility is designed to achieve LEED® 3.0 certification and energy savings that exceed 25% of the energy code. The design incorporates a water source heat pump system with “smart” controls that allow for remote adjustment of room settings to reduce energy use, as well as energy recovery ventilation systems. Additionally, the hotel includes a vegetative “green” roof for stormwater reduction.

The hotel is also the flagship commercial project for the City of Philadelphia’s new EnergyWorks program, which provides low-interest loans to help finance sustainable building and redevelopment. It is anticipated to create 300 full- and part-time jobs. A second phase of the development will include a 150,000-SF office building.

The project was jointly financed by the state, Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, The Reinvestment Fund, US Bank Community Development Corporation and Beneficial Bank.

“This Homewood Suites is a shining example of how public and private partnerships come together to support sustainable design projects that positively impact community development,” stated Urban’s Daniel MacDonnell, EIT, LEED® AP. “ We are happy to support this initiative with energy efficient building system design, something that Urban strives for on every project.”