PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The pharmaceutical giant Glaxo Smith Kline, with operations in Philadelphia, is moving south — to the Navy Yard.

Glaxo’s 1,300 workers in center city, currently based in two Franklin Plaza buildings near 16th and Vine Streets, will move to the Navy Yard Corporate Center by the end of 2012.

It’s a new “LEED Platinum” certified building, developed by Malvern-based REIT Liberty Property Trust.  Liberty is investing $81 million, all privately financed, to put up the new Glaxo building.

Deirdre Connelly (right), Glaxo’s North American president and a Philadelphia resident, says the workers are thrilled to be relocating to a state-of-the-art building at the Navy Yard.

“It also will be a building designed with an open space plan, where all of our employees will be able to communicate, collaborate, and work together for better idea generation and greater performance,” she said.

The announcement is part of a series of job-related events the mayor is attending this week, including one for another Navy Yard neighbor, Urban Outfitters, which is knitting together another 1,000 jobs at its headquarters there.  That announcement is coming tomorrow.

Reported by Steve Tawa, KYW Newsradio 1060.