After 19 successful years in Regent Square, the architect firm of
Rothschild Doyno is moving—and doubling its space—into a renovated bus garage at 2847 Penn Ave. in Pittsburgh's
Strip District.
"We're very sensitive to the catalytic effect that positive development can have in a neighborhood," says
Rothschild, who emphasizes the project's collaborative nature. "The glass windows give peeks into office activities and our conference
room is a storefront. We're showing the process of architecture and
design."
The 7,000-square-foot space features natural light on all four sides, 18-foot ceilings and a flexible floor plan with collaboration alcoves and a print center encased in translucent fiberglass. Giving physical form to a creative process, the building's exterior metal panels feature reproduced pages from the
sketchbooks of the 13-member firm.
"It's a living lab of our environmental commitment,” says Rothschild who notes the use of
PPG spectrally selective glass and the concrete floor stained with a soy-based product from
ARTEMIS, and compares the building's use of natural light to that of a sundial.
“The interior has a different feel than a typical office. It's cleaner, healthier and brighter—the next generation of office environment," he adds. The first project to receive the
URA’s new low interest
loan program for LEED buildings, it will seek LEED-Gold certification.
The 15,000-square-foot lot includes a 50-foot side yard, which will house a garden and indoor-outdoor workspace. Says Doyno, "It's time for our buildings to be better citizens from an environmental standpoint. We're trying to do everything we can to play a role in the revitalization of Pittsburgh's main streets."
Writer:
Jennifer BaronSources: Dan Rothschild and Ken Doyno, Rothschild Doyno Architects
Photograph copyright Brian Cohen