By Jim Dolente Jr, President, Madison Concrete Construction
Rising from the ashes of the former Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, the Navy Yard is a master-planned 1,200-acre waterfront business campus that’s committed to smart energy innovation and sustainability. More than 150 companies from a variety of industries call this former shipyard home, lured by the unique mix of historic brick buildings, new, LEED-certified construction, open (and walkable) spaces and, of course, majestic retired U.S. Navy warships. Sixteen years in the making, the campus continues to expand and develop.
The Urban Land Institute recently described the campus’ ongoing transformation from military facility to vibrant urban office park as one of the “most successful” redevelopment projects in U.S. history. Madison Concrete is proud to have been a part of this redevelopment since the beginning, starting with the Aker Philadelphia Shipyard.
Now called Philly Shipyard, the Aker shipyard renovation was the first major project at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard site after it closed in 1996. Madison helped kick off the development boom that is now Navy Yard by completely rebuilding the commercial shipyard from 1998 through 2000.
Other Madison projects at Navy Yard include the 2003-2004 construction of the U.S. Navy Gas Turbine Testing Facility, which is a part of the U.S. Navy’s Naval Ship Systems Engineering Station (NAVSSES). The Navy still operates NAVSSES, the Propeller Shop and Foundry and the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility at the Navy Yard campus.
The LEED Gold-certified headquarters of Iroko Pharmaceuticals, located at Navy Yard in Philadelphia, was built with locally sourced materials. Photo: Madison Concrete
In 2011, we also constructed the global headquarters of Iroko Pharmaceuticals, LLC, a pharmaceutical company that develops low-dose pain-management therapies. The 56,412 square-foot, four-story facility is LEED Gold-certified and applies sustainable design principles to key LEED categories including energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. Built predominantly with locally sourced materials, the building accommodates about 180 employees. The facility opened to much fanfare in 2012, with a grand-opening ceremony attended by Philadelphia’s then-Mayor Michael Nutter.
The Navy Yard is a nod to an important part of Philadelphia’s history as birthplace of the U.S. Navy. The dynamic urban campus also boasts more than 13.5 million square feet of real estate available for historic renovations and build-to-suit opportunities for office, research and development, light and heavy industrial/manufacturing, distribution and recreational use. If you are planning a project at Navy Yard, let us know how we can use our experience to assist you.