Pittsburgh's "breathing" building aims to be the world's greenest skyscraper
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PNC are not including a full service cafeteria in the building but will encourage employees to venture out, thus providing a further boost to the local economy (Image: Gensler)
The project will employ around 2,500 construction workers over the next few years and aims to promote development and business growth in the downtown area (Image: Gensler)
Gensler have used a smaller floor plate and connected two story levels to promote employee collaboration and stop the anonymity of elevator travel between floors (Image: Gensler)
Employees in the 33 floor glass tower will be able to access daylight and fresh air, an experience which Gensler design director Hao Ko recognizes is much more of a European skyscraper design feature then has been incorporated into current US skyscrapers (Image: Gensler)
The Tower hopes to achieve its temperature regulation using a double-skin facade that will feature operable doors and windows to admit fresh air into the building during optimal conditions, which is effectively when the building is ‘breathing’’ (Image: Gensler)
Development began in the spring of 2012 with completion scheduled for summer 2015. The Tower will stand with the PNC HQ at PNC Plaza (Image: Gensler)
The Tower will consume less than 50% of the energy a typical office building uses and will save PNC at least 30% on its energy costs (Image: Gensler)
A solar chimney is another component of the passive HVAC system: it pulls air in through the open windows, the air then travels across the floors, is heated and exhaled through the roof shaft (Image: Gensler)
The Smaller floor plate combined with the ‘breathing’ facade, should significantly reduce lighting and cooling consumption, which are two of the greatest energy demands in US commercial buildings (Image: Gensler)
PNC have 118 LEED-rated buildings, they opened their first green building in 2000 and state that they have reduced their energy budget by 25% since 2009 (Image: Gensler)
Located in downtown Pittsburgh on the corner of Fifth and Wood Streets, the building will be approximately 800,00 gross sq.ft (74,322 sq.mt) in size with a construction budget of approximately US $240 million (Image: Gensler)
The challenge for the designers is for staff to feel like they are sitting on a park bench, with a laptop, shoes kicked off, feeling the breeze (Image: Gensler)
Research by Carnegie Mellon University indicates that fewer sick days are taken and employees are more engaged in buildings employing similar technologies to The PNC Tower then standard office environments (Image: Gensler)
The Tower design recognizes that the Pittsburgh climate can provide increased levels of natural light onto the floorspace along with improved regulation of temperatures for much of the year without using traditional, energy-intensive HVAC systems (Image: Gensler)
The Tower hopes to minimize use of the surrounding Pittsburgh rivers which are already at risk through overuse, storm-water and waste water systems. The building will use low flow fixtures and rainwater harvesting to irrigate the green roofs whilst treating grey and black water wherever possible (Image: Gensler)
Article Summary
The PNC Financial Services Group hopes to exceed LEED Platinum requirements along with promoting a healthy indoor workplace with its latest development – the Tower at PNC Plaza. Located in downtown Pittsburgh on the corner of Fifth and Wood Streets, the building will be approximately 800,00 gross sq.ft (74,322 sq.mt) in size with a construction budget of approximately US$240 million. The "breathing" design created by architecture firm Gensler moves away from the traditional closed air-conditioned environment and has the lofty aim of becoming the greenest skyscraper in the world.
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