Pittsburgh Glass Center

This photo shows the Center's front facade.

Photo credit: Ed Massery

Overview

Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Building type(s): Other
15% new construction, 85% renovation
17,600 ft2 (1,630 m2)
Project scope: 2-story building
Urban setting
Completed January 2002
Rating: U.S. Green Building Council LEED-NC, v.2/v.2.1--Level: Gold (40 points)

The Pittsburgh Glass Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching, creating, and promoting glass art. The Center's new building includes state-of-the-art studios in hot glass, flameworking, and coldworking. A neighborhood revitalization project in Pittsburgh's historic Friendship area, the Center is housed in a building that has previously been home to a food cooperative, a mattress distributor, and an automobile showroom.

This project was chosen as an AIA Committee on the Environment Green Project for 2005. It was submitted by Davis Gardner Gannon Pope Architecture, LLC, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which executed the project with Bruce Lindsey. Additional project team members are listed on the "Process" screen.

Environmental Aspects

The design process included meetings and charrettes with all project stakeholders, including the general public.

A reflective roof system reduces both the building's internal heat loads and its contribution to the urban heat-island effect. The parking lot uses pervious limestone and is landscaped with indigenous plants; it doubles as an event courtyard and reduces heat buildup in summer months. Landscaping and surface treatments were selected to shade the parking lot and the building.

Alterations to the shell of the building were made to increase daylight and views and to maximize opportunities for natural ventilation. As a result, most occupied spaces do not require artificial lighting during daytime hours. Heat from the glassmaking equipment and exhaust air is recovered. Thermal mass inside the building moderates temperature swings.

The building includes a range of salvaged materials. All new construction materials were evaluated and specified for recycled content and local manufacturing and harvesting. Most of the wood used for the project is certified to have been harvested sustainably. Much of the building was left unfinished, reducing the initial and maintenance costs of the project, limiting the space's offgassing potential, and lending an industrial, creative feel to the building.

Owner & Occupancy

Owned and occupied by Pittsburgh Glass Center, Corporation, nonprofit
Typically occupied by 8 people, 40 hours per person per week; and 70 visitors per week, 28 hours per visitor per week

Keywords

Integrated team, Design charrette, Green framework, Operations and maintenance, Transportation benefits, Stormwater management, Efficient fixtures and appliances, Massing and orientation, Glazing, Passive solar, HVAC, Lighting control and daylight harvesting, Efficient lighting, Adaptable design, Durability, Benign materials, Salvaged materials, Local materials, Certified wood, C&D waste management, Daylighting, Natural ventilation, Ventilation effectiveness

next topic:
Process

Last updated: 5/4/2005

Our thanks to the ENERGY STAR program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and to the U.S. Department of Energy, and to BuildingGreen, Inc. for hosting the submission and judging forms.

For more information about the AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Projects, contact AIA/COTE. For help on how to use this Web site, contact .