At the recent AIA Philadelphia Design Awards gala, the Dilworth Park design team was given the Gold Medal. The client, Center City District (CCD), accepted the award with the design team which included Urban Engineers, KieranTimberlake, OLIN and CVM. The Design Awards recognize the best in architectural design and includes a competition, divine detail award, and exhibition.

“Dilworth Park is a truly civic project that is inclusive and allows for many types of people to coexist happily and in a calm way,” said the judging panel, which was made up of industry experts from Portland, Oregon.

Once an uninviting apron of concrete around Philadelphia’s City Hall, Dilworth Park was transformed into a welcoming, transit-oriented park for all Philadelphians and visitors to enjoy. Urban led the design team and focused their efforts two-fold: the re-envisioning of the three acre, above grade public area and providing better connections to the historic nexus of transportation directly beneath the park which transports 305,000 passengers each day.

This new space introduces yearlong programming including movie nights, farmer’s markets, and concerts. The fountain area becomes an ice skating rink in the winter, and there is a café operated by one of the most gifted chefs/restaurateurs in the country for visitors to enjoy.