An early adopter of sustainable building in Pittsburgh, Jack was an innovator, a change-maker, and lifelong learner.
Jack was personally dedicated to creating sustainable places where everyone can thrive, and he demonstrated this through both his professional and personal life. Under his leadership, Mascaro Construction has been a leader in green building in Western Pennsylvania, earning recognition for 13 consecutive years as a Top 100 Green Contractor by Engineering News-Record. Mascaro’s early leadership on the region’s first green building project, the Heinz Family Foundation and Office, in 1993 helped set a foundation and trajectory for Pittsburgh’s and Western Pennsylvania’s national leadership role in green building and sustainability.
The company continued this leadership and commitment by constructing over 8 million square feet and $1.9 billion in LEED certified projects, including such high-performance projects as the Energy Innovation Center, the Union Trust renovation, UPMC Corporate Headquarters, and MuseumLab. These projects showcase Pittsburgh’s rich history and vibrant future – a testament to the lifelong Pittsburgher himself.
With his legacy, GBA counts his support as a key part of our alliance’s success as well. In 2018, Jack became one of the first of our four Lifetime Members at Green Building Alliance. His commitment as a lifetime member was a link in the long chain of sponsorship and work towards GBA’s mission.
Jack saw sustainability as imperative to innovation. A graduate of University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering, Jack wanted to help “bring concepts of sustainability and green building to Pitt’s engineering program,” as he saw these skills as essential for both innovation and competitive edge in the building industry. He lived his principles, and as such, Jack led the construction of University of Pittsburgh’s Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation, a research center in the engineering school he attended, which focuses on sustainable solutions relating to healthy and high-performance buildings and communities, green chemistry and materials, water, and energy. Jack modeled his commitment to education by even advancing his own green building knowledge when he took GBA’s LEED Green Associate class.
Jack was recognized as a leader in high quality construction and was recently awarded the James Kling Fellowship Award from the AIA-MBA Joint Committee for his leadership and collaboration across design and construction teams.
From his many awards, to the buildings he worked on, to the research and education he helped enable, Jack’s legacy on the Pittsburgh region and belief that “good ethics is good business” will live on.
Our entire Green Building Alliance staff, board, and community send our thoughts and condolences to Jack’s family, and we will continue to cherish his legacy.
