Development News

It’s generally understood that local architects and planners contribute immeasurably to the quality of Pittsburgh’s built environment. But each year Design Pittsburgh honors a non-architect for using design to advance the region. This year’s Gold Medal recipient is Lisa Schroeder, Riverlife CEO.

“She’s done a tremendous amount of work with Riverlife,” says Anne Swager, AIA Pittsburgh executive director. “They’ve really set the standard for development on the rivers, and made our city in many respects a world class city because of that.”

According to Swager, Riverlife often goes beyond just advocating for healthy and sustainable riverfront developments, and has raised funds and administered several such projects itself.

“And it’s all under Lisa’s leadership,” Swager says. “She’s been a tremendous ally in the world of design.”

Design Pittsburgh is AIA Pittsburgh’s annual celebration of local architecture and architects, from work here at home, to both national and international projects.

Schroeder will be presented with her Gold Medal award at a ceremony next week. Following the reception, the winners of this year’s Design Awards will be announced during a gala and awards ceremony.

Design categories include Architectural Detail/Craftsmanship; Architecture; Design & Innovation; Historic Preservation; Interior Architecture; Regional & Urban Design; Timeless Architecture; and the Young Architects Studio Competition. The winner of this year’s People’s Choice Award will also be announced at the ceremony.

Swager believes Pittsburgh is continuing to emerge as a design center, where architects have been at the forefront of green and now evidence-based design.

“When you hear about Pittsburgh being one of the greatest cities to live in, I think that that’s a lot about the design of the city and how pleasing it is, and how well it functions,” she says.

The Design Gala and Awards will be held on Thursday, October 11th, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Education Center, 805/807 Liberty Avenue, downtown. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.


Writer: Andrew Moore
Source: Anne Swager

At the annual Pittsburgh Step Trek this Saturday, October 6th, the South Side Slopes neighborhood is celebrating something new: the completion of a step-lighting project unlike any other in the city.

The neighborhood is covered in steps, which are necessary to navigate the hills that rise above the South Side Flats.  And many of these staircases are actual city streets where homes are accessible by foot only.  In many ways these steps define the neighborhood.

“It’s very unique and it speaks to the idea of how do you inhabit an urban hillside, and it’s a fascinating thing,” says architect and neighborhood resident Peter Kreuthmeier.  “I think they should be treasured, and they should be maintained, and they should be celebrated.”

So the fact that the neighborhood’s most prominent steps, rising above 18th Street, were in disrepair, unlit, and felt generally unsafe was a problem that needed a creative solution. 

As an Elm Street Community, the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association and the South Side Local Development Corporation developed a plan to light the steps, and use them as an inviting gateway to the neighborhood.

Now, five years later, the staircase lighting project is complete.  Each stair tread is illuminated by a linear LED fixture.  And projector fixtures, attached to cor-ten steel poles, carpet the steps in ambient lighting.

The lighting project was designed in collaboration with Loysen + Kreuthmeier Architects, studio i architectural lighting, Klavon Design Associates, Watson Engineers and Baker Engineering.  It’s the latest of three gateway projects, all of which feature the steel alloy cor-ten, chosen for its durability and historical significance to the neighborhood.

“Cor-ten is just a very visceral material that resonates with the historic industrial lifeblood of the South Side,” Kreuthmeier says.  “It shouts steel.”

Duquesne Light funded the entire project’s lighting, over $120,000, through its Power of Light Grant Program.

The 12th annual Step Trek, a mapped hike through the neighborhood's numerous city steps, will take place this Saturday, October 6th, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Registration is held at 21st and Josephine Streets at the South Side Park.  The Trek features two routes, Black and Gold, which are 3.6 and 2.1 miles respectively.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Lisa Kahle; Peter Kreuthmeier

The Shop in East Liberty celebrated a grand opening last week, and is now offering home goods, everyday art, and jewelry.  All items in the store are handmade, and curated from local makers, as well as from artists throughout the country.  Owner/artist Julia Reynolds describes it as a retail store for design-conscious people.

Reynolds’ vision for The Shop is to be a comfortable space to display and view handmade items, appearing naturally as they might in a home.  She wants the space to contrast with the experience of viewing objects in a gallery, which she says can often be intimidating.

“You want to own something unique and that’s handmade, but you want to come to a place you feel comfortable, where you can touch the artwork or objects,” Reynolds says. 

And The Shop aims to be affordable too. 

“I hope that people can find things that they love and can easily take home to enjoy,” Reynolds says.

The Shop is located at 214 N. Highland Avenue, two doors down from Union Pig & Chicken. 

Reynolds, a graduate of Carnegie Mellon’s Heinz College of Arts Management, has lived in East Liberty with her husband for several years.  When she began looking for a location to open The Shop, she says staying in the neighborhood was a priority.

The space was completely remodeled from an office-use space to now have a bright and modern feel, reflecting the type of products offered at the store.

The Shop is open until 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings.  Reynolds is hoping her store can help to build foot traffic in this commercial district.

As a first-time business owner, Reynolds believes she has chosen the right neighborhood to open a store.

“We’re in an area that I think encourages this opportunity for anyone,” she says.

The Shop is open Tuesday through Saturday, at 214 N. Highland Avenue. 


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Julia Reynolds

The Night Market is popping again, bringing food, music and art to a vacant lot in Downtown Pittsburgh.

A component of Project Pop Up Pittsburgh, the market will take place during this week’s Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District.  Bethany Tucke, a project consultant, says the Night Market helps to achieve one of the initaitive's original goals: to activate vacant or underused space.

"The parking lot where we will be hosting the Night Market is a daytime parking lot that operates weekdays only," Tucke says.  "Figuring out a way to pop something up that’s interesting for both residents and visitors to downtown, and giving an opportunity for creative entrepreneurs to showcase and sell their goods in underused space, is exciting."

The list of food vendors has grown to include 10 eateries, including downtown’s Bluebird Kitchen and Conflict Kitchen, as well as BRGR, Reyna’s Tacos, and Smiling Banana Leaf.

Handmade ware vendors include Beads of Light, Best of Bizarre, Creative Customology, Devorah Naturals, Erra Creations, SMD Jewelry, and Tugboat Printshop.

Night Market will be located at 917-919 Liberty Avenue, between Ninth and Tenth Streets, from 7 p.m. to midnight.  But the footprint of the market itself has grown. This Friday’s event will also extend into adjacent Exchange Way, between Ninth Street and Garrison Way.

At the Gallery Crawl the public will also have an opportunity to view nominations for the 2012 Design Pittsburgh awards, and to vote for their pick in the People’s Choice Award.

Design Pittsburgh is presented by AIA Pittsburgh to highlight outstanding architecture and design in the region.  Last year’s People’s Choice Award went to Desmone and Associates Architects for their work at Savoy Restaurant in the Strip District.

The Project Pop Up initiative began last year as a way to animate vacant storefronts and public spaces throughout downtown with the goal of improving safety and economic health.  The project is a program of Mayor Ravenstahl, the URA, City Planning, and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Bethany Tucke; Leigh Ann White

A $41.5 million transit-oriented development could soon come to the South Hills Village T station.   A tentative agreement was announced last week between the Port Authority and Massaro Dawson Group to develop 6.43 acres of surface parking lot in Bethel Park into a community that includes 320 apartment units and a clubhouse. 

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald announced the deal last Wednesday.  He says the goal of transit-oriented development is to create compact, livable communities centered around a high quality transit system.

“Massaro Dawson Group has put forward an exciting plan to develop a 298,000 square-foot residential complex at the South Hills Village T Station, and we look forward to working with them to make this vision a reality,” he said in a statement.

The Port Authority Planning & Stakeholder Relations Committee has endorsed the project, and it now moves to the full Board of Directors for consideration.  If approved, Port Authority management, along with the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County, will enter an exclusive negotiation period with the developer to determine final terms and conditions. 

Final review and approval will be provided by the Board and the Federal Transit Administration.  According to spokesperson Amie Downs, Fitzgerald’s office fully expects the Board to endorse and approve the project.  Twice before similar projects at this site have failed to materialize.

In exchange for development rights and use of 160 parking spaces in the garage, Massaro Dawson has proposed a 52-year lease with Port Authority totaling $5,576,218. Exact terms of the agreement will be determined during the negotiating period.

In April, the Redevelopment Authority and the Port Authority issued a Request for Development Proposals for this site.  Massaro Dawson’s proposal was selected as the most responsible and highest rated proposal by an evaluation committee.

Dennis Davin, County Director of Economic Development, expects a formal development agreement to be reached by early next year.

 
Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Amie Downs, Dennis Davin 

It’s often the smallest of spaces that can radically transform neighborhoods.  Pittsburgh-based Urban Design Associates (UDA) has spent the past summer documenting such places in the city where cafés, galleries, and boutiques have become agents of change.

“A lot of the things that are working organically in American neighborhoods are the sparks of inspiration and hard work by small businesses,” says UDA chairman Rob Robinson.

Their findings have been published in an open source manual titled Everyday Squares.  The manual offers as case studies cafes and restaurants like Espresso A Manno, Tazza D’Orro and Round Corner Cantina, and traditional squares like the new Village Park at Point Park University.

But in addition to just providing a gathering place, Robinson says he has found Pittsburgh’s small business owners to be incredibly community minded, and willing to share their facilities for various neighborhood needs.

“They give up space for the bike club meeting, or the family planning meeting, whatever it is,” Robinson says.  “All those spaces are almost universally used for community good as well as just private gain.”

But according to Robinson, designers and architects don’t always plan for these Everyday Squares.  He says many redevelopment efforts are too big, asking tenants to lease expensive storefronts with enormous footprints.  His firm is working to address these considerations.

“We have started to design spaces where the footprint for a commercial user is tiny—400 or 500 square feet, not 1,200—which is about triple of what you really need,” he says.

Robinson hopes the manual can aid commnity development corporations and other planning agencies in revitalization efforts and new development projects.

And aside from being small and flexible Robinson says successful squares are able to blend the line between public and private space. 

Not only does blending these spaces help to build a sense of comfort and community, Robinson says, it’s also good for business.  A restaurant that is able to take advantage of sidewalk or terrace seating, for example, is often able to triple its revenue without tripling overhead.

Robinsons says it’s important for neighborhood groups and planners to find out what’s working for small entrepreneurs and to create spaces that allow businesses to share resources.

“I think everybody recognized, wow, if I had three more friends here and we were all contributing to a little piece of this neighborhood, we’d be better, and our businesses would survive better,” Robinson says.  “It would be a more interesting place.”

 
Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Rob Robinson

Like many independent illustrators and designers Matt Gondek spent much of his time working from home.  Too much time in fact. To change his lifestyle, Gondek has opened a new urban boutique and design studio, The Frown Crown, in Upper Lawrenceville.

“I wanted to get out of my house and talk to people throughout the day,” Gondek says.  He hopes to use the shop as a meeting place for clients, as well as a place to build connections in the community. And while the shop functions as a regular clothing boutique, Gondek is in a back studio working on various illustrations, some of which will end up in his Jock n’ Roll clothing line in the new shop.

It wasn’t until Gondek participated in a pop up shop event that he realized the potential benefits of a brick-and-mortar space. The 2 Week Street Boutique, hosted by Fe Gallery this past May, drew a very positive reception. 

Inspired by that success, he sought a new permanent space. Now, he hopes the boutique will help other local designers gain more recognition.

In addition to clothing, the shop features prints from local artists, national underground brands, as well as Gondek’s own artwork, illustrations, and vinyl figures.

Gondek, who was named Pittsburgh Magazine's Best Local Artist in 2011, says his work is geared toward younger people, and is bold, colorful, and cartoon-like. “I try to put something on a shirt that gets people’s attention quickly and is recognizable,” he says.

The Frown Crown is located at 5179 Butler Street, next to Remedy Restaurant and Lounge, and is open noon to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Matt Gondek

 Eat + Drink is a new occasional section of Development News focusing on restaurant and bar happenings in Pittsburgh.


-  Restaurateur Domenic Branduzzi, of Lawrenceville’s Piccolo Forno, has announced plans to open a second establishment in the Central Northside.  The restaurant, which will likely be named Il Giardino—a tribute to its historic setting—will occupy the former Garden Theater space, and will be a key component in the block’s long-awaited redevelopment. 

Il Giardino joins Nakama Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar, which announced plans earlier this year to open in the former Masonic building, also on North Avenue.  The block-wide redevelopment is a project of Zukin Realty.

Branduzzi hopes to be open by late summer, 2013.  Construction at both restaurant sites is expected to commence simultaneously.

Branduzzi says the space will be larger than his current restaurant, at 4,000 square feet, and will likely feature a rear patio.  Like Piccolo Forno, the restaurant will include a wood-fired pizza oven, with the addition of a pizza bar.

-  In the South Side, Stagioni will be hosting a family-style farm dinner at their restaurant next Tuesday, September 25th.  The dinner will feature produce from Pittsburgh’s Knotweed Urban Farm, a CSA and cooperative farm in Stanton Heights.  The four-course meal begins at 6:30 p.m. and is $35.  2104 E. Carson Street, South Side.  412-586-4738.

-  Truth Lounge celebrated a grand opening last week.  The upscale restaurant and cocktail bar replaces the former Café Allegro at 51 S. 12th Street in the South Side’s Bedford Square. The menu focuses on small plates, as well as craft cocktails and high end wine.  412-381-9600.

-  21st Street Coffee has relocated to a new storefront space in the Strip District, at 2002 Smallman Street.  The cafe is now next door to Kaya.  "No, we aren't changing the name," their website reads.

-  Mac Diner is now open in Allison Park, a breakfast-all-day eatery serving nine varieties of mac and cheese.  Open 7 days a week, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.  4848 Route 8, Allison Park 15101.  724-939-7434.


Writer:  Andrew Moore

What would Pittsburgh landmarks look like if they were made of cans?  At this year’s CANstruction event Heinz Field, a giant ketchup bottle and several other iconic structures will be given the tin treatment and it’s all for a good cause.

CANstruction is a national design competition that asks local groups to create buildings and other fantastical structures out of canned food.  Now in its 20th year, the event is a canned food drive for regional food banks.  This is Pittsburgh’s second year participating in the competition.

This Saturday, eight teams will gather downtown at One Oxford Center for the build-out. Beginning Monday, the Can City will be open for public viewing in the building’s lobby, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.  The structures will remain on display through Friday, September 28th.

The public will have a chance to participate by voting for their favorite structure.  Votes are cast by donating a canned food item, or a reusable tote bag.  The people's choice winner will advance to compete in the national contest.

CANstruction is partnering this year with the Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project, as the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank uses these sturdier bags to distribute food to residents in the region.

On Friday a private gala will be held, with judges awarding winners in categories such as structural integrity; best use of labels; people’s choice; and best meal.

CANstruction organizer Anastasia Herk says the judges will determine a best meal winner by looking at what kinds of canned food the structure is made of and whether it would actually make a nutritious meal.

“The food banks want healthy food,” Herk says. “If a structure is made out of a bunch of SpaghettiOs cans, that might not be as appealing to the judges as something that’s made out of beans and spinach.”

One Oxford Center is located at  301 Grant Street, Downtown. 

CANstruction Pittsburgh is an all-volunteer initiative supported by the Pittsburgh design community.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Anastasia Herk

In Oakmont a redeveloped brownfield site is extending the city to the riverfront.  Known as Edgewater at Oakmont, the 34-acre development brings 240 new residences to this Allegheny River town.

The neighborhood is built on the former Edgewater Steel site. The vision of developers Kacin Companies and EQA Landmark Communities was to create a neighborhood that looked like it had always been there.

“It seamlessly is an extension,” says Jason Corna of Kacin Companies.  Not only does exterior architecture resemble the town’s historic housing stock, but the Allegheny Avenue business district will continue along the Edgewater development, he says.

Edgewater’s first residents began moving in earlier this year.  Corna expects 60 homes to be occupied homes by the end of the year.

Four acres along the Allegheny River have been developed as a riverfront park, with scenic overlooks and walking trails.  Along with plans for a quarter-acre parklet within the neighborhood, and additional recreation lands, the riverfront park has been donated to the Borough of Oakmont.

The development offers single-family homes, townhomes, condos and carriage-style homes.  Corna says this diversity in housing has attracted a range of buyers from ages 24 to 84.

And buyers have come from 12 different states.

“They're people that are coming to Pittsburgh for jobs, and have really taken to Oakmont because it reminds them of the quaint small-town areas that they came from,” a community that is walkable and near to amenities, Corna says.

Site remediation began in March of 2010, and home construction began in March of 2011.

Brett Malky, founder and president of EQA, grew up in Oakmont.  His company was also a partner in Summerset at Frick Park, which is Pittsburgh’s largest traditional neighborhood redevelopment of a brownfield site.  And Kacin Companies is also one of two builders at Summerset at Frick Park.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Jason Corna

One of Pittsburgh’s premier art deco buildings will soon be transformed into a unique housing development.  The LOFTS of Mount Washington will be a historic renovation and retrofit of the former Prospect Middle School into 67 units of apartment housing.

“It’s unique because there’s not a lot of art deco in Pittsburgh,” says developer Victor Rodriguez.

The school was built in 1931, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.  Rodriguez, of a.m. Rodriguez Associates inc., says the renovation will preserve exterior and interior architectural details.

One such detail is a former cafetorium, which will be reused as a main entrance, and lobby/lounge area.  The elevated space opens to a balcony, which Rodriguez says creates a dramatic entryway.

The building’s upper floors offer views of downtown, and the fourth floor looks out over both the Ohio and Monongahela Rivers.  One and two bedroom apartments will range in price from $800 to $2,000, and from 760 to 1600 square feet.

Also on the property is a former gymnasium, which is being transformed into a 6,000 square-foot fitness center that will be open to the public.  Rodriguez says there are currently no fitness centers on Mount Washington. 

A 160-seat auditorium will also be renovated, and made available for productions and semi-regular programming.  Rodriguez says the auditorium’s renovation is part of historic rehabilitation guidelines.  The project has received historic tax credits, and support from the URA.

The former school grounds will be redeveloped as outdoor terraces and other green spaces.

Rodriguez says the lofts are a 20 minute public transportation commute from downtown, including a short walk to the Monongahela Incline.

The project architect is Paul Rodriguez, and the contractor is Sota Construction Services.  Rodriguez says green building practices will be used throughout the renovation.

Construction is expected to begin by the end of the year.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Victor Rodriguez

The Pittsburgh Botanic Garden (PBG) is opening to the public for the first time with "Peak and Preview" tours beginning tomorrow.  It's the first opportunity for the general public to see the 460-acre garden's progress after more than 20 years of work which includes the remediation of a former strip mine.

Kitty Vagley, PBG director of development, says these tours are encouraging to the project's supporters and staff, and are a milestone for this long-awaited garden.

"It's a way to say to all these people who have kept faith that we are finally emerging from the environmental morass and producing something worthwhile," she says.

Vagley says the garden is at a halfway mark, with approximately three miles of trails built, and interactive exhibits for families and children such as a child-sized bird nest.  Twelve acres have been cleared of invasive species, with over 2,000 native plantings.  And soon a drainable limestone bed will be installed for remediation of acid mine drainage, which would otherwise render a pond in the woods lifeless.

The organization knew that former mines on the land had created environmental issues for the garden, but after the damage of Hurricane Ivan in 2004 those problems were revealed to be far greater than they imagined.

"For eight years we have struggled with the environmental problems that no one knew we were signing up for," Vagley says.  "So the fact that we can actually point to this site and say we are moving ahead, we are real, is a big accomplishment.”

Weekly tours are currently scheduled through November, and space can be reserved by calling the garden or through its website.  Tomorrow, Dr. Doug Tallamy, an entomologist form the University of Delaware, will lead a tour and give a lecture on the importance of native plants in a diverse ecosystem.

More extensive tours are also available on request, which will allow guests to see the Dogwood Meadow, and the Eastern European and English Woodlands.  412-444-4464.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Kitty Vagley

The Brew Gentlemen--Asa Foster and Matt Katase--have admittedly been drinking underage for the past several years.  But unlike other college students, the setting wasn't a keg party, but rather a serious recipe-testing endeavor, an effort to found the region's latest craft brewery. 

Foster and Katase met as undergrads at CMU, where they quickly switched to self-designed majors in order to focus their studies on craft beer and entrepreneurship.

"We got the business off the ground before we were even of legal drinking age," Foster says.  "We spent the last three years going total immersion."

Since graduating in May, the pair (officially the Brew Gentlemen Beer Co., and now of legal drinking age) has been busy preparing their pilot brewing facility in Braddock, a former warehouse turned production facility.

After securing the space, which is owned by the Heritage Community Initiatives nonprofit, they learned that restaurateur Kevin Sousa would be their future upstairs neighbor.  Sousa plans to open his newest restaurant, Magarac, by late 2013. 

Foster hopes to offer Brew Gentlemen beers at Magarac, in addition to collaborations with other Pittsburgh breweries.

The brewery will be participating in several upcoming events where the public will have an early opportunity to taste Brew Gentlemen beers.

The Brew Gentlemen will initially have three different styles: White Sky, a Chai-spiced white ale; an amber east-coast style double IPA called General Braddock's IPA; and a session red ale.  Foster says their goal is to produce exploratory takes on traditional styles.

In the next five years Foster hopes to be able to open a second facility with a 20 to 30 barrel system, with production on the scale of other regional breweries, as well as offering canned products.

For a first taste of The Brew Gentlemen beer, kegs will be available at the latest Tapped Pop Up Beer Garden.  The event will be the last of the season, and will be held on October 6th,  from 2 to 9 p.m., John St., Braddock.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Asa Foster

A vacant lot, a truck, and a giant bubble turned gathering place.  This is the latest experiment in public space coming to the 600 block of Braddock Avenue later this evening.

The Spacebuster is a traveling community-space installation that is actually a giant, translucent bubble connected to the back of a large delivery truck.  It was commissioned by the Storefront for Art and Architecture, and designed by Raumlabor in 2009.

Attendees enter through the truck’s passenger door and are transported into the enclosed space, which is inflated by a large fan under the truck’s ramp.

The Storefront for Art and Architecture envisioned the Spacebuster as a way to transform public spaces into points of community gathering.  It has recently traveled throughout New York City, and is now on tour of the Rust Belt region and on loan from the Storefront.

The Flint Public Art Project (FPAP) is taking the Spacebuster on the road through Pennsylvania and Ohio to Flint, Michigan.

At tomorrow’s event, which is facilitated by Braddock-based UnSmoke Systems Artspace, barbecue will be provided by Union Pig and Chicken, as well as music from DJ Chevy and DJ Dave Zak.  The family friendly event is free and open to all.

UnSmoke proprietor Jeb Feldman says this type of event is suited to a community like Braddock which has the space to accommodate an installation of this kind. But Feldman says it’s also a great way to bring energy to Braddock’s main street, and attention to issues of public space and vacant land.

FPAP is a platform for cultural production and public engagement in Flint.  The Congress for Urban Transformation is a research and urban engagement-based conference in Flint, where the Spacebuster is ultimately headed. 

The Spacebuster in Braddock is tonight, Wednesday September 12th, beginning at 7 p.m.  600 block of Braddock Avenue, 15104.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Jeb Feldman

The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg is celebrating a new green building on campus, a 16,500 square-foot sustainable classroom and office building.  It was designed to achieve 30 percent annual energy savings and reduce water usage by 50 percent.  A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held last week.

Cassell Hall, named after Pitt Greensburg’s third president Frank A. Cassell, expects to achieve Silver LEED certification, and would be the first of its kind on the Westmoreland County campus.  The university anticipates the U.S. Green Building Council completing their review by the end of this fall.

The building was designed by Forty Eighty Architecture.  Landscaping around the building is part of  demonstrative rain gardens and storm water bioswales for on-site storm water management.

The building features numerous efficiencies which the university expects will allow for 28 percent less energy usage in heating and cooling, and 50 percent less water consumption

In other green building news, the South Side branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh reopened on Saturday following a $2.7 million renovation.   The project followed guidelines for LEED renovation standards and is in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The renovation also marks the first time in the library’s 103 years that it will have air conditioning.

"As part of our system-wide pledge to make our library buildings accessible as well as comfortable, it was very important for us to update the South Side to include air conditioning, and we incorporated the geothermal heating and cooling system," says Communications Manager Suzanne Thinnes.  "It’s the first of its kind in any Pittsburgh library."

And even with the new comforts, the library expects substantial energy savings through the reconditioning of existing windows; building envelope upgrades; geothermal heating and cooling; installation of low water usage plumbing fixtures; and the use of recycle and regional materials. 

Thinnes says that renovating libraries in the system as sustainably as possible is part of the library's commitment to the community.

The South Side branch was originally built in 1909, and was one of the first neighborhood branches.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Suzanne Thinnes