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  • Type Case Study
  • Services Architecture, Community Engagement, Graphics, Interiors
  • Awards AIA Eastern PA

To be fair, the city only had one – Martin Tower, a 21-story relic from Bethlehem Steel’s corporate heyday.

The company’s innovative steel beams built the Golden Gate Bridge, the Hoover Dam and much of New York City’s skyline.

Martin Tower brought bravado to its humble hometown. Designed by Haines Lundberg Waehler, the tower was built between 1969 and 1972. Its unique cruciform shape provided corner offices for Bethlehem Steel’s many executives.

Vacant since 2007, Martin Tower held the title of the tallest structure in the Lehigh Valley for nearly 50 years. New ownership and changing economic tides doomed the building. On May 19, 2019, Martin Tower was imploded.

When we discovered a dusty model of Martin Tower in our basement, we couldn’t help but talk about the building’s potential. What was it like to design this? How would we design it today?

Then creativity took over.

A new logo and branding. A 1:1 digital model. An office interior fit-out. A virtual tour.
A new tool to build an understanding of architecture.

The Architecture

Fifty years ago, architects used balsa wood, plastic and paper to build miniature models. The replicas allowed officials to study all aspects of design, including how a new structure fits the plant’s footprint.

Today, models remain an important architectural tool. However, rather than struggle with glue and polystyrene, architects build models using Building Information Modeling software like Revit. Based on mathematical units, Revit builds precise scale models in a great degree of detail.

The Martin Tower BIM tool was built using archival construction photographs and 3D images from Google Earth. Technology allowed us to examine the tower’s site and structure and place it in a realistic environment. Elevations, details, axonometric views and floor plans were developed from this model.

The Interiors

While Bethlehem Steel’s design maximized corner offices, today’s companies seek an open concept where teamwork flows naturally from comfortable spaces bathed in natural light and bold color schemes. We took advantage of the tower’s difficult floor plan by structuring the vertical axis to serve traditional work functions while the horizontal axis is aligned for community spaces.

Recognizing that brainstorming sessions happen anywhere, we chose lounge-style furniture for common areas and bench seating with computer docks for work areas where employees can touch down to answer emails and sketch first drafts.

FLOOR TILES
CARPET OPTIONS

The Brand

Cutting across the Lehigh Valley’s skyline with a boxy simplicity, Martin Tower is an iconic structure intrinsically linked to the area’s industrial past. In creating this logo, we moved away from Bethlehem Steel’s familiar I-beam to build the brand around the tower.

A simple black typeface on a white background combines a broad M with a bold cross to mimic the building’s unique shape. The cross serves as a clever replacement for the letter T in Martin and Tower. Both letter shapes are instantly recognizable and stand out on a variety of applications, like letterhead, business cards and promotional buttons.

The Exhibit

Architecture is an obtuse art form. While we crane our necks to stare at skyscrapers and gather in groups to observe implosions, the elegant details of architecture are hard to appreciate outside the field.

Our work on Martin Tower grew beyond creative exploration when we introduced the exhibit to children. In classroom career days, the model is instantly recognizable, and its minimalistic design strikes a chord of familiarity. Engagement is high as children gaze at the physical model and don headsets to immerse themselves in a virtual exploration of the tower that once stood proud just blocks from their school.

We talk interior finishes and bring samples to share with the students. Paint swatches and carpet squares spark conversation – do you like this color? Is this durable enough for the front entrance? How do we make corner offices feel luxurious?

We pass out paper and encourage students to design their own floor plans. Create a clubhouse or a new school, renovate Mom’s office or build a new shed for Dad. With crayons and markers, children gain an understanding of the architectural process learning space planning and adjacencies.

Artifacts and photos supplement the exhibit, including a custom door knob from the executive suite and a heavy chunk of steel beam cut from the building to make room for explosives. Beyond the classroom, the Martin Tower model has been exhibited at local museums dedicated to art and history. Requests to view the model continue to come from teachers, the business community, our neighbors and peers.