Pittsburgh Innovates

Named for the colored roofs that have long dominated the town’s landscape, Blueroof Technologies is building a new neighborhood on a 10-acre mill site, a cluster where high-tech cottages will enable the elderly and disabled to reside more independently with the latest in robotic, electronic and handicapped technology.

With the ingenuity of local universities— Penn State Greater Allegheny, Carnegie Mellon University’s Quality of Life Technology Center and University of Pittsburgh—the cottages will also give researchers a testing ground for the latest assistive devices.

Blueroof was founded in 2001 by retired McKeesport Area High School principal, John Bertoty, and McKeesport Penn State engineering professor, Bob Walters, as a way to create jobs that would keep local high school and college graduates in the region.

With the support of the mayor and local leaders, they formed the McKeesport Independence Zone where they are building 15 to 20 one story “smart” cottages with LEED Platinum certification. The hope is to also secure funding to help individuals buy and maintain the residences. Several test houses have already been built in the Pittsburgh region, says Bertoty.

“Each home has over 100 different sensors to modulate the well being of the resident,” Bertoty explains emphatically. “We found people wanted to stay in the neighborhood, they wanted a front porch where they could see and be seen.”

Blueroof is committed to stimulating job and economic growth by providing long-term employment opportunities, especially offering jobs to youth on all levels of the program. The company employs six and plans to hire two more in IT.

“I believe this is eminently replicable across the country,” says Bertoty. “With support from our universities and foundations, western Pa. and the Mon Valley area will become the place where this will happen.”

Writer: Debra Smit
Source: John Bertoty, Blueroof Technologies