AKA University City at Cira Centre South welcomes first residents

This spring, Brandywine Realty Trust’s groundbreaking 49-story Cira Centre Southtower opened its doors to welcome residents to AKA University City – an exclusive collection of 268 luxury apartment and hotel residences situated on the top 18 floors of the 862,000 square-foot tower, a prominent new addition to the Philadelphia skyline.

Here, the Philadelphia-based global brand of luxury long-stay residences introduced, for the first time in its company’s history, a unique mix of four residential offerings within one tower:

Apartment Residences – floor-to-ceiling windows and open floor plans are ideal for residents to create their own design vision with unfurnished, annual leases.
Hotel Residences: fully furnished designer residences with all utilities and accessories, complete with personalized luxury services including a 24/7 resident services team for daily or weekly stays.
Serviced Residences: fully furnished designer residences with all utilities and accessories, complete with personalized luxury services including a 24/7 resident services team for monthly stays.
Designer Furnished Residences: furnished residences featuring distinct design elements in furniture and lighting, without accessories or AKA services; with options for six-, nine- or 12-month leases.

“The University City neighborhood is in the midst of unprecedented expansion,” said Larry Korman, co-CEO of Korman Communities and president of AKA. “We saw a unique opportunity to expand our core offerings and create flexible accommodations that not only provide guests with our globally-recognized furnished and serviced residences for long- and short-term stays, but also unfurnished residences for those seeking traditional apartment living. We are thrilled to be part of the transformation of University City by providing a highly-desirable community for residents in search of a modern living experience surrounded by the highest-quality offerings in wellness, entertainment and leisure.”

Rising above the Philadelphia skyline, the hotel and apartment residences at AKA University City offer residents and guests a one-of-a-kind living experience, combining modern accommodations with world-class design and amenities. Sleek, elegant studios as well as one- and two-bedroom apartment residences are available in a variety of configurations for annual leases, in addition to the enhanced Penthouse level residences on the 46^th floor. A seamless complement of the building’s architectural vision, each suite will feature expansive panoramic views of the city and modern designs conceived and brought to life by award-winning New York architects Asfour Guzy. Feature elements include:

10-foot ceilings with floor-to-ceiling windows
Wide-plank Italian white oak flooring
Open living and dining areas ideal for entertaining
Stevali brand, custom made Italian kitchen cabinetry
Quartz countertops
Premium stainless steel appliances
Luxurious spa-inspired bathrooms
Generous glass enclosed showers
Carrara marble
Grohe fixtures
Ample walk-in closet space
Dual-lit mirrors

The hotel, serviced and furnished residences boast design elements imagined and executed by internationally-renowned Italian architect and designer Lissoni Associati, which evoke a streamlined sensibility of timeless elegance and sophistication united by the finest materials in the world.

Inspired by the famed SoHo House, AKA University City boasts a 25,000 square foot, full-floor dedicated lifestyle club, also designed by Lissoni Associati. Unlike anything the region has seen before, Level 28 is designed to cater to the modern, lifestyle-centric tastes of selective Philadelphians seeking a high-quality lifestyle. Residents are granted exclusive, complimentary access to unmatched amenities focused around wellness, entertainment and leisure. Offerings include:

72-foot stainless steel aerial “pool in the sky” with floor to ceiling windows and contemporary lounge seating
a.lounge, AKA’s signature private lounge which opens onto a.terrace, a four-season greenscaped oasis with endless sightlines and cozy fire pits soaring 400 feet above street level
State-of-the-art Technogym fitness center designed by Antonio Citterio with a yoga and stretching area, private treatment room, and private locker room
Private dining and conference areas equipped with advanced business center services
a.cinema, a private theater with fully automated leather seating, complete surround sound, an extensive film library and curated film screenings
3-D indoor golf simulator featuring some of the world’s most renowned courses
Cira Green, a visionary one-acre landscaped park situated 90 feet above Cira Centre South’s vibrant urban marketplace. Cira Green provides a common space for residents, tenants and the pubic to escape the bustling city streets to relax, enjoy and host activities and special events.

“As we approach the final stages of this significant project, we are proud to see the results of all the time and attention that each project partner brought to this building – from our architect and design partners to our contractors and engineers, and certainly AKA. AKA’s acute attention to detail and design in all of their properties were taken to a whole new level with Cira Centre South – truly honoring our vision for the tower and University City residents and visitors alike,” said Jerry Sweeney, President and CEO of Brandywine Realty Trust.

On the ground level, a 100-seat restaurant concept by New York City’s Michelin-starred Rebelle team will create an unmatched culinary option for the University City neighborhood, expected to open early summer, 2017.

AKA University City will join Cira Centre South’s mix of class-A office, retail and restaurant space. Philadelphia’s only true embodiment of a ‘vertical neighborhood’, Cira Centre South allows for residents and tenants alike to live, work and enjoy a multitude of leisure activity – from health & wellness to dining to lounging in a park—all without ever leaving the property.

The completion of this iconic tower marks another achievement in the transformative development of University City, and is a precursor to the continued growth of the area. Schuylkill Yards, Brandywine Realty Trust’s master-planned innovation community being developed on grounds owned by Drexel University, further builds on this momentum to extend Philadelphia’s city center to the west by creating a leading hub of innovation, technology, globalization and economic development. Brandywine Realty Trust is one of the leading visionaries behind the expansion of the University City neighborhood.

For additional information about AKA University City’s apartment residences visit http://www.akauniversitycity.com/