Constructing a Living Building and a surrounding park especially on the cusp of an urban center is an inherent challenge but speaks to the intention of finding a balance between nature and technology. In a world that is engaging and forcing the population to think in a more renewable way, a project like the Frick Environmental Center, soon to open on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, a once famously industrial city shows the evolution of time. The Buzz sat down with the three main members of the creation team behind this project to get their views on approach, aesthetic, functionality and process of education.
The Buzz: The texture of balancing green versus modern in a perceived urban setting is an interesting challenge.
Patricia Culley [Project Architect/Bohlin Cywinski Jackson]: The concept that the conservancy kind of put forth was this idea of “neighborhood to nature”. Literally the site is located right on the cusp of his very nice neighborhood called Squirrel Hill. [And] specifically with the design of the building, we wanted to be really sensitive about how this building sits within the park itself. It is located on a fairly steeply sloped site. This North side is a very low profile one story façade…but as you go around to the South Side of the building it opens up into this big three story [structure].
The Buzz: Can you talk how that integrates with the use of the actual space of the park site?
PC: The layout of this site is very formal. We have this allee that goes down the center of the site that is a straight shot from the gatehouses to the fountain…and then arching on each side are these slightly radius paths that actually start to mimic some of the historic paths that were on this site which was originally designed by Innocenti & Webel.
The Buzz: Does that require the engineering of the site to be down in parts or as a whole?
Jessica Demoise [Environmental Engineer & Project Manager/Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy]: The name of the game is numbers. [The first point is] going through the process to build an automation system…the brains. That is where myself and the facilities manager interface so everything is metered. That is part of the requirement of the “Living Building” challenge is making sure that everything is metered down to plug loads versus park lighting versus what is this pump using for kilowatt hours. Metering is really our strategy.
Where lies the balance in creating a green park from an engineering point of view?
JD: The number one thing is really looking at what do we need versus what do we want. The building as you see is not large. It is kind of figuring out what kind of space do we actually need to run our program. That was the philosophy for this building. It is kind of doing more with less and focusing on quality and a beautiful space.
The Buzz: One of the great aspects here is blending solar panel with water collection.
JD: In a rain event, water hits down on the individual panels. It then diverts out to a special channel. It was kind of a specialty item that was fabricated by us by a local solar installer: Energy Independent Solutions. It guides the rainwater down and then there is a gutter system that captures the water.
The Buzz: Is this new technology something that is just starting to be implemented?
JD: To be frank, it is something that we are work-shopping. It is not something we had seen or done before. How do you make sure there is not water dripping down in between the individual panels? To get it so it is [all in] one gutter? It is something where we are making field modifications along the way. It is based on Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and their design work. They wanted a raise and then, with it, a steel structure over the parking lot.
The Buzz: Patricia, how was that idea designed?
PC: [At Bohlin Cywinski Jackson], we do like to use a lot of sloped roofs in our projects but specific for the “barn”, we did talk about that the solar panels would be on this roof [of the parking structure]. But the main building in particular also has a very specific function. I do want to talk about the roof because it has some pretty awesome functions. It has a very shallow slope to the north [but there are] no gutters or downspots on the main building. All the storm water that falls on it sheds off and falls into the rain veil. So it has this really amazing effect off the north edge [in that] whenever it rains you will be able to walk essentially behind this waterfall type feature which we call “the rain veil”.
The Buzz: Jessica...how does this become an engineering challenge?
JD: Part of that challenge is the building challenge. There are requirements on material sourcing and things that are heavier have to come from closer so something like…we need to get ceramic tiles. We can’t go to Ohio. We have our specifications but then we’re having to vet those against the “Living Building Challenge requirements to make sure they don’t have toxic components. There is a list chemicals you have to make sure they are free of.
The Buzz: Now in terms of sustainability, there has to be a balance too. Patricia explained that she wanted the buildings to reflect a certain aspect of neighborhood bringing up the texture of aesthetics versus green functionality.
Maureen Olinzock [Sustainability Coordinator/Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy]: I think that all falls underneath the beauty petal. The “Living Building” Challenge is really amazing because it is [addresses] both technicalities because you have your NetZero Water and your Netzero Energy inside these really rigorous material requirements.
The Buzz: Can you explain “NetZero”?
MO: So on an annual basis, we have to Net Zero energy and water. So we have to generate on site, renewably, as much energy as the building uses. So those PV panels will generate more than sufficient energy for what we expect the building to use based on its design.
The Buzz: One of the most interesting things about this specific project is its melding of the urban and nature perspective within an educational bent.
MO: I think that that kind of feeds the softer side of the “Living Building Challenge” in that they have beauty and equity requirements. Plus I think a lot of the technology on the site is hidden so we have the challenge ahead of us of finding ways to explain to people like “There is an underground cistern here! Uou can’t see it but it is there!” or “There are geothermal wells under the ground that are helping us heat the building…but you can’t see it!” We'll find ways to do that There are also evident [examples of sustainability] like the windows and the way we can use passive ventilation if the conditions are right. We have lights in the building that tell us when we can manually go and open them As a “Living Building”, it allows us to live more naturally. It is a really beautiful way to merge those two things which are otherwise pretty different. I mean [it is] nature and technology but they work together very well.
Tim Wassberg
A graduate of New York University's Tisch School Of The Arts with degrees in Film/TV Production & Film Criticism, Tim has written for magazines such as Moviemaker, Moving Pictures, Conde Nast Traveler UK and Casino Player. He enjoys traveling and distinct craft beers among other things.