On a recent trip to the top of the new Comcast Technology Center at 1800 Arch Street in Philadelphia with the special inspections group, members of Urban Video Production – Urban Engineers in-house video team – orbited the tower’s spire from a crane basket, capturing views of the city from 1,200 feet in the air. Urban was celebrating the culmination of their work as construction – on what is set to be the tallest building in Philadelphia and the eighth-tallest building in the Western Hemisphere – nears completion. Be sure to watch the video above in its entirety to see the views only a select group have been privileged enough to see!

The new LEED Platinum glass and stainless steel tower is a bold design and headlines the current development in Philadelphia. It’s also another major milestone for the city and for Urban Engineers. As part of the work on the Technology Center, inspectors have been testing welds on the structure’s 60 floors. Urban’s special inspection team has been a part of the project, one of the largest in the city’s history, since it was just a hole in the ground. It has allowed them the chance to have views like no other, standing at heights most people never get the chance to, unless it’s behind a window.

“Working at heights has become a way of the job for me that is not about fear, but about respect,” says Michael Lieb, a lead special inspector for Urban on the project. “It is exhilarating, and while some may find safety measures binding and limiting, moving slowly and intentionally while keeping acute awareness of your surroundings will not only accomplish the same task as one done hastily but will also yield a higher success rate in the project and of returning you home.”

The building has also gained recognition as being the largest private development project in the history of Pennsylvania. Michael’s crew has been drawing upon Urban’s experience from working on major building projects like One World Trade Center in New York City, where Urban monitored construction on behalf of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Experience from this tower will benefit work on monumental projects they have on the horizon.