David L. Lawrence Convention Center
Sports and Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County
Pittsburgh, PA
1.5 million square feet
The world's largest LEED Gold-certified building at the time it was designed, the David L. Lawrence Convention Center is a testament to Pittsburgh's sustainability focus. Burt Hill provided MEP engineering, sustainable design, and LEED certification services for this $277 million project, designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects.
The goal of the project was to design the most environmentally-friendly, fiscally responsible convention center possible. Burt Hill provided innovative sustainable design solutions for the convention center. In particular, three sustainable design strategies - natural ventilation, natural lighting, and water efficiency - were developed to cut energy consumption by 30% compared to that of similar, but more conventionally engineered facilities. The roof shape encourages cross ventilation utilizing air currents from the river. Skylights provide natural light, the cooling system uses cascading water on the roof, and a low temperature air supply system minimizes duct work, fan capacity, and energy consumption.
