AXONOMETRIC SECTION
BUILDING SECTION
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
LIVING MACHINE DETAIL
FACADE DETAIL
DETAILS
PIXAR / 3M HEADQUARTERS
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA
KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
CRITIC. CHARLES HARKER
PARTNER. LYNN RABATSKY
2012
COMPETITION FINALIST
EXPAND TEXT
The headquarters is incorporated into a larger masterplan to revitalize Pittsburgh’s cultural district via implementing mixed-use residences, several shops, and multiple culturally centric buildings. The headquarters is designed to foster 24 hour public activity and is adjacent to several unique neighborhoods expressed within the masterplan as urban living rooms. The building’s ground level and exterior plaza is holistically conceived and provides retail space, unique amenities and a variety of street-level uses to enrich local quality and character. One emphasis of the project was towards sustainability, both as functioning design component as well as providing cultural awareness to the state of green and sustainable design today. As a response to this, an onsite living machine passively recycles greywater through the use of plants and public accessible wetlands. The living machine is integrated into the buildings urban plan to inform pedestrians about sustainable processes through experience and interaction. The building’s exterior skin consists primarily of translucent polycarbonate panels that provide diffused light to interior offices. Between each panel, are discrete energy-generating wind belts. Horizontal strips of glass interrupt the polycarbonate panels to allow direct daylight and ventilation to the offices. On the north, south and west facades, a metal LCD mesh can display images or video for exterior public movie screenings or advertisements. While the upper floors contain office space, the ground floor provides retail space and a lively interior and exterior public space. Sustainability, awareness, and efficiency were primary goals for this studio. This project was developed with collaboration with consultants on a weekly basis and optimized according to BOMA standards.
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JOSEPH GIAMPIETRO
EXTERIOR PUBLIC SPACE