The David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh Photo courtesy of VisitPittsburgh
This is a continuation of the story of Pittsburgh’s transformation from rust belt to green city... (read part one here)
Western Pennsylvania makes it easy to locally source materials for LEED projects through dozens of vendors in their supplier network. In 2007, the GBA established their Pennsylvania Green Building Products Directory, and it is available on-line at www.pa-greenbuildingproducts.org for anyone to use.
To date, according to Holly Childs, GBA executive director, there are 49 LEED certified projects in Pittsburgh with another 114 registered and/or awaiting certification. According to Childs, the community as a whole has been very receptive to the green movement.
Hydroponic vegetables and herbs grow on the rooftop terrace.
Photo by Doug Bardwell
Arguably, one of the most impressive green projects is the David L. Lawrence Convention Center (DLLCC). The first Gold LEED convention center in the country was proposed as the site for the first G-20 Conference ever held outside a country’s capital city. While many were shocked at the city’s selection, Pittsburgh made a wonderful backdrop for the international event. The convention center not only was a comfortable venue for the event, it also showcased what can be accomplished when green design methods are utilized.
Mark Leahy, general manager of DLLCC, detailed many of the green features which intrigued the international guests:
A custom designed curtain wall system provides light
throughout the convention center. Photo by Doug Bardwell
* On the rooftop terrace, 15% of the food served during the G-20 was grown on-site. Using hydroponics, vegetables and herbs grow in half the time of traditional methods.
* Natural ventilation provides fresh cool air from the river side of the building to the tradeshow area anytime the outside air is between 40 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
* A grey water reclamation system provides 75% of all the water used in the toilets.
* An aquifer, 50-70 feet down, provides makeup water for the cooling tower, reducing the load on the City water system.
* Natural light flows in all possible areas, reducing the need for artificial illumination by 75%; but, a system of curtains can be raised should a darker environment be necessary for A/V projection.
* 100% of the column-free 236,000 sq.ft. of hall space is naturally illuminated by floating glass curtain walls and skylights.
From the rooftop terrace overlooking the Allegheny, Pittsburgh’s river and bridges became the backdrop for hundreds of hours of international TV coverage during the G-20. But, the financial story was just one of the stories being told.
Pittsburgh itself became the second story, showing how a city with heavy steel roots and a terribly polluted past, can refocus, retool and rebrand itself as a mecca of culture, art, sports and environmental awareness.
With remarkable swiftness, this city spun that color wheel 180 degrees for the benefit of its businesses, its citizens and its visitors alike.
Doug Bardwell writes about interesting new real estate projects, construction and grand openings across the country and around the world. Feel free to drop him a line at realestate.dougbardwell@gmail.com with suggestions for future stories. To get his stories delivered to your inbox, click the RSS feed or the "Subscribe" button above.
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