Two of the eight Green Project Awards from the American Institute of Architects' Committee on the Environment were for projects in Pennsylvania— the Bear Run Interpretive Center and the Pittsburgh Glass Center.

The COTE Green Project awards are given for architectural and green design solutions that protect and enhance the environment. This year’s winners include a number of high-performance and environmentally-friendly facilities for arts, cultural, and environmental/science purposes.

Here’s a description of the award winning projects—

The Barn at Fallingwater, Mill Run, Fayette County

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Pittsburgh

The Barn at Fallingwater, or the Bear Run interpretive Center as it is know locally, is an adaptive reuse of a 19th century heavy-timber bank barn and its 20th century addition, framed in dimension lumber. It serves as an interpretive portal for the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy's 5,000-acre Bear Run nature reserve, immediately adjacent to Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater.

From its inception, the design was driven by the Conservancy's desire to vividly articulate the lessons of good stewardship of both the natural environment and the artifacts of the cultural landscape.

The renovation focused on preserving those features that convey its cultural heritage while adapting the structure for a new function.

The grand upper level of the original bank barn is used as a seasonal area for exhibits, lectures, and other social functions. The one-story 20th century addition now houses a multipurpose exhibit, conference, and distance-learning area.

The existing, glazed dairy block walls, glass block windows, and site-built roof trusses are exposed. Salvaged fir, new sunflower-seed composite panels, and sound-absorptive straw panels complement the palette of original materials while underscoring the structure's connection to farming.

A zero-discharge wastewater reclamation system, gray-water flushing, and low-flow fixtures reduce potable water use. A ground-source heat-pump system, day-lighting, and electric light sensors minimize energy use.

Pittsburgh Glass Center, Pittsburgh

Davis Gardner Gannon Pope Architecture/Bruce Lindsey, Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Glass Center is an art studio and nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching, creating, and promoting glass art. It includes state-of-the art studios in hot glass, flame-working, and cold-working.

A neighborhood revitalization project in Pittsburgh's historic Friendship area, the Center is housed in a building that has previously been home to a food co-operative, a mattress distributor, and an automobile showroom.

The design process included meetings and charrettes with all project stakeholders, including the general public. The building includes day-lighting and control of the quality of the light. It also includes extensive natural ventilation, as air-conditioning is prohibitively expensive and prohibitive for a glassmaking environment. Heat from the glassmaking equipment is recovered. Thermal mass inside the building moderates temperature swings.

A reflective and emissive roof system reduces both internal heat loads and the building's contribution to the urban heat-island effect. The parking lot uses pervious limestone and is landscaped with indigenous plants; it doubles as an event courtyard and reduces heat build-up in summer months.

Alterations to the shell of the building were made to increase daylight and views and maximize opportunities for natural ventilation. As a result, most occupied spaces do not require artificial lighting during daytime hours. All new construction materials were evaluated and specified for recycled content and local manufacturing and harvesting.

(courtesy Green Building Alliance)

6/3/2005