A glass shard caught mid-spin beside the rail yards—Philadelphia’s most elegant proof that zoning deals can still make art.
Visitor Guide
Circle it once at ground level, then immediately go up to Cira Green: the building reads as polite from the sidewalk, but it turns sharp and almost cinematic from above.
From the Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk near Walnut Street Bridge, shoot northeast toward 30th Street around 30 minutes before sunset for warm reflections and clean sky gradients.
You can access the public realm (plaza/retail) freely; the tower itself is secured—expect a concierge desk and keycard/elevator control. The best public ‘interior’ experience is the adjacent elevated park (Cira Green); check posted hours on arrival.
The façade’s ‘random’ faceting isn’t random at all—it’s a disciplined set of planar moves that keeps the tower looking slim from the station approach while hiding the bulk of the floorplates.
30-60 minutes
Design & Structure
Designed as a faceted, planar curtain-wall tower where massing and angles do most of the work—less algorithmic spectacle, more controlled viewpoint engineering. Digital massing studies and façade rationalization keep the folds buildable as repeated planar units.
High-performance glass curtain wall with metallic spandrels and crisp aluminum framing—materially ‘quiet’ so geometry and reflection do the drama.
A conventional high-rise core-and-frame made remarkable by how the envelope’s folds choreograph perception: the engineering feat here is precision tolerances across a complex curtain-wall geometry.
More by César Pelli
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Overture Center for the Arts
Pacific Design Center
Clorox Building
National Museum of Art, Osaka
Frequently Asked Questions
Who designed Cira Centre South?+
Cira Centre South was designed by César Pelli and completed in 2016. It is located in Pennsylvania, United States.
Where is Cira Centre South located?+
Cira Centre South is located in Pennsylvania, United States. Its coordinates are 39.9570°, -75.1820°.
When was Cira Centre South built?+
Cira Centre South was completed in 2016. It was designed by César Pelli.
Can I visit Cira Centre South?+
Cira Centre South is a real building in Pennsylvania that can be viewed from the outside. Check local information for interior access and visiting hours. Use the Parametric Atlas walking tour feature to plan a route that includes this building.