This 300,000 sf commercial building for
a Pittsburgh developer occupies a site
overlooking the Monongahela River. Bounded on the river side by a high speed
vehicular way, the building orients itself to transportation on that side, with
three levels of parking, and the pedestrian on the other side. Both object and subject, the building is a
prominent part of the skyline but also provides compelling views of the hills
beyond to its occupants. EDGE studio’s
design distributes the conventional atrium to the skin and exterior of the
building, resulting in multiple Sky and roof gardens, open to air. The arrangement rotates around the southern
façade of the building, from east to west in response to the movement of the sun,
resulting in an ‘Inclined Landscape.’
The glass façade is gently faceted to direct daylight into the Sky Gardens
and into the building floors.
Connected internally, the Sky Gardens
are accessible to all building occupants, with a public restaurant and terrace
at the southwest corner. This vertical
network of landscape within the office tower echoes the horizontal distribution
of green space at street level. The
infusion of light and air, along with efficient building systems project a
sustainable design agenda both in vision and in practice.
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