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December 4, 2018

American Water Celebrates Opening of New Headquarters

American Water Celebrates Opening of New Headquarters

Today American Water celebrated the opening of its new 230,000-square-foot headquarters at One Water Street in Camden, New Jersey. Developed by Liberty Property Trust, the five-story building is the centerpiece of Robert A.M. Stern Architects' master plan for a vibrant, mixed-use Camden Waterfront, with pedestrian-friendly streets and a network of open spaces that will reconnect downtown Camden with its historic riverfront.

Central to the building's design is its transparent four-story atrium, illuminated by a skylight and crisscrossed by upper-level bridges, which frames views through to the new riverfront park and the Philadelphia skyline across the Delaware River. A lantern at the north end of the building signals a gathering space adjacent to the building’s fifth-floor training and conference facilities, opening to a large roof terrace. Co-working and community spaces are incorporated throughout the building. Metal-and-glass facades recall the site’s industrial past, boldly expressing through transparent glass curtain-wall the traveling stair that will foster face-to-face interaction throughout the dynamic workplace. At night, both the lantern and the stair glow, giving the building a strongly identifiable profile from across the river. A large-scale sign atop the building, a statement of corporate and civic pride in this important setting, is legible from across the river, its scale and frankly expressed scaffolding again recalling the site’s industrial heritage. Landscaped plazas open at the building’s north and south ends, and parking on an adjacent block is largely screened behind a hotel and a neighboring office building.

The building targets LEED Platinum certification, with efficient water use, including greywater from runoff; daylight harvesting; high-performance mechanical systems; green roofs and landscape; and convenient access to public mass transit. Chamfered panels framing the windows on the west facade will maximize views to Philadelphia and the Ben Franklin Bridge while mitigating solar heat gain. RAMSA Partners Robert A.M. Stern, Meghan McDermott, and Graham Wyatt led the design team.

American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company, providing services to an estimated 14 million people in 45 states and in Ontario, Canada.

RAMSA's previous collaborations with Liberty Property Trust include the 57-story Comcast Center in Center City Philadelphia; the North American headquarters for GlaxoSmithKline; and the master plan for the redevelopment of Philadelphia's Navy Yard.

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