The Tower at PNC Plaza

The Tower at PNC Plaza is a skyscraper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania which is the corporate headquarters of the PNC Financial Services Group and has approximately 74,000 m2, standing 33 stories tall.

The office building is designed by Gensler and its partners. The design team chose the most efficient and effective green design strategies that work with Pittsburgh's climate in order to minimize energy use. Working closely with PNC, the team centered their design strategies around a “three pillar” approach: energy conservation, organizational productivity, and community contribution.

The building’s 28th floor offers a terrace and “indoor park” with greenery, a radiant-heated floor and with the height of two floors that serves as a “town square” for employees to foster collaboration and a sense of community.

The tower’s orientation maximizes on daylighting and a high performance, double-skinned facade encourages natural ventilation. Operable windows on the facade open on days with optimal conditions (which occurs almost half of the year), and allows the building “breath” by taking in fresh air from the outside and expelling hot air out the top.

The angled roof acts as a solar collector to further encourage a cooling effect. The iconic tower is set to serve as a new landmark for the city and propel green design even further.

The construction of the tower began in 2012 and completed in 2015.

For more, watch the videos on the links below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6kJzGOJ_gc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4790RS9ixww

References:
http://inhabitat.com/genslers-super-sustainable-tower-at-pnc-plaza-breaks-ground-in-pittsburgh/the-tower-at-pnc-plaza-genlser-2/
http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=8349
http://www.gensler.com/projects/the-tower-at-pnc-plaza?l=featured