Project Name: 

Robert Mehrabian Collaborative Innovation Center

Project Square Footage (ft²): 

130,000

Year Built: 

2005

Green Building Certifications: 

LEED Gold

Project Team: 

dggp Architecture, RAY Engineering, Churches Engineering, PJ Dick

 

Please provide a brief description of the project.

A 130,000 SF speculative building intended to house both private corporations and university organizations for the purposes of collaborative research. The building was carved out of the hillside near the bridge across the valley containing utilities and a railroad at the edge of the campus. The building was designed to enable rapid reconfigurations of open landscape workspaces using a state-of-the-art HVAC system.

 

How did the building's team work together to address sustainability and building performance?

dggp Architects began the project by developing a very efficient and functional design that also spoke to the existing university architecture right next door. PJ Dick provided the most impactful construction recommendation with the pile=driven retaining wall system which kept a four story cliff in place and allowed the building to rest on top. The MEP engineers delivered an HVAC system that was perfect for open landscape office design, as the original requirements for the building dictated. The architect and the contractor resolved a number of problems that arose during construction by collaboration.

 

What were major challenges in the project related to building performance and how did the project team work to overcome them?

The contractor and the subcontractors were not experienced with the resource-efficient terra cotta rain screen facade system. The architects had to convince the owners and the contractors to bid the untried (used five times in the U.S. by 2004) instead of regressing to a conventional brick facade system. The improvements to building wall performance realized by the proposed facade system will enable the university to save thousands in maintenance costs over the years.

 

What are the project's key sustainability features?

Terra cotta rainscreen facade, raised floor HVAC system, gray water system, materials with recycled content, avoidance if waste to landfills

 

What are your main take-aways or lessons learned from this project? Have these lessons informed other projects?

Innovation (facade) can be demanding but the rewards for advancing U.S. building technology are great. Design ideas can make the most impact on sustainability as opposed to chasing LEED points.

 

What was the intended or actual impact of the project on its users or the surrounding community?

A 130,000 SF speculative building was intended to house both private corporations and university organizations for the purposes of collaborative research. Professors could lead private research projects while continuing to teach and research through the university. Apple and Google are initial examples of how the building served as a catalyst for growing Pittsburgh's tech industry by providing the first space thse companies had in the region.