The region’s investment in a green convention center is paying off. Pittsburgh-based consulting firm, evolveEA performed a ground-breaking study to evaluate the David L. Lawrence Convention Center’s (DLCC) operations, marking the first time a prominent LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certified building has undergone a comprehensive evaluation for green operations, which has culminated in the facility becoming the first LEED Platinum convention center certified under the Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance rating system. Christine Mondor, Principal... 

April 17 at Build Pittsburgh Annual AIA Pittsburgh Conference 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Integrative Process and Verified Performance: The Expanded Focus of LEED 2012 Moderator: Marc Mondor, AIA, LEED Faculty, Principal, evolveEA Panelists: Joseph Nagy, RA, LEED AP, Building Systems Ratings Manager, evolveEA, and Stephen Hockley, LEED AP, Sustainability Process Manager, evolveEA April 25 at GMIC’s 2012 Sustainable Meetings Conference, Montreal Canada 9:00 am – 10:00 am Breakout Session on the Building in Operation Study of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center Christine... 

The Market at Fifth project is a renovation of three historically significant 1904 structures in the section of downtown Pittsburgh known as the Fifth & Forbes corridor. Once slated for demolition, the derelict buildings were purchased by Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation (PHLF), who developed a business plan for their beneficial reuse. The project has become a local success story and testimonial to the value of converting abandoned property into appealing, environmentally conscious and economically beneficial space. Furthermore, this project was instrumental... 

The housing market is one of the biggest construction sectors and carries great sway in our national economy. While green building practices have swept into the commercial markets, the residential markets are far more fragmented and it has been harder to bring sustainable ideas to scale in this market. The Pittsburgh Green House (PGH) was a partnership between Action Housing, the Green Building Alliance, and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens to transform Pittsburgh’s urban residential market by providing a one-stop shop demonstration project for designers, builders... 

Last week, the Interior Design Student Professional Alliance held their annual Winter Gala at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. The event featured a presentation about the Living Building Challenge process at the Phipps Center for Sustainable Landscapes, led by a panel from the project team. evolveEA’s Marc Mondor was accompanied by Chris Minnerly of The Design Alliance architects, Executive Director of Phipps Conservatory Richard Piacentini, and Alan Traugott of CJL Engineering. They covered the Whats Whys and Hows of this unprecedented net zero energy water and waste... 

At the end of Carnegie Mellon University’s fall semester, the School of Design held a one-day exhibition for the senior class, showcasing projects from all the areas of design that make up the school’s renowned curriculum. As an alumni and design professional, I found numerous points of interest in the range of work, the way it was presented, the topics addressed through design, and the evolution of CMU’s design program. The latter is indicative of the design field’s ever-changing character and multi-dimensional nature—design constantly redefines itself to encompass... 

evolveEA is leading a team of graduate students (MS3) in a semester long inquiry exploring two of our region’s communities as they transition toward a more sustainable and (hopefully) prosperous future. Similar to evolveEA’s approach to Buildings in Operation and benchmarking investigations, evolveEA and the Slippery Rock University team will perform a deep analysis of each community’s demographics and sustainability initiatives; while gauging progress across a number of metrics and indicators. This Community engagement study will explore the potential... 

We may not realize it, but we rely on the process of benchmarking every day. Whether we’re in the market for a new car or simply choosing between cereal options, reviews and product information (think Consumer Reports, Angie’s List, and nutrition labels) help us analyze goods or services. Information shapes our decision making processes and is a powerful tool for consumers and businesses alike. The concept of benchmarking, a term commonly used in the design, construction and building operations industry, involves comparing building performance against industry standards... 

I bet you didn’t know that we are able to use a planet’s gravity as a slingshot to send things into space. It’s true. Spaceships regularly use Gravitational Assist in order to save fuel, time and expense on their journeys. Although not orbital mechanics, we have noticed an interesting phenomenon of gravitational assist with our green building clients. Green building initiatives, the tactile environmental representations of sustainable principles that house their employees round-the-clock, can be used to launch strategic sustainability pursuits and integrate sustainability... 

We are proud to announce that evolveEA’s Cole Williams was chosen to participate in a Green Building Group Study Exchange Program this coming May in Seoul, South Korea. The program, organized and funded by the Rotary Foundation, brings a team of architects and designers from Seoul to Pittsburgh and then participants from Pittsburgh will focus on green building and development while in Seoul. Cole thanks the McCandless Rotary Club, who will sponsor his trip to Seoul. He looks forward to this opportunity to share green building knowledge with peers and learn about Seoul’s... 

We came up with the idea to print our own cards and gifts as a fun experience for our staff, an opportunity to give our friends a unique gift, and to collaborate with a fantastic community arts organization called Artists Image Resource (AIR). AIR is an artist-run organization located in Pittsburgh’s North Side that integrates the production of fine art print work with innovative educational programs that explore the creative process. The artwork on our cards and tote bags is a collage of the images we use on our website to represent evolveEA projects. We thought it... 

Last weekend representatives from evolveEA met with Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Ms. Sutley is principal environmental policy advisor to the President and was in Pittsburgh to learn about the successes and challenges facing the state of green building in our region. We described Pittsburgh’s role as an early green building leader and challenges discussed ranged from combined sewer overflow to incentives for renewable energy. We learned that the Obama Administration has repeatedly tried to get all G-8 and G-20 nations to eliminate... 

evolveEA’s Christine Mondor will speak at a Green Building Alliance event addressing the DLCC’s green features, performance, and operations, past, present, and future. evolveEA led the project team that analyzed the convention center’s performance as an innovative green building. Christine will highlight the challenges and triumphs in this effort that’s sure to have significant implications for the Pittsburgh region and for the convention center industry. Pre-registration for this event is recommended. Time and location are as follows: Hall A David L. Lawrence... 

Upon its completion in 2003, the David L. Lawrence Convention Center (DLCC) received LEED-NC Gold certification, was the world’s largest green building (at 1.5 million sq-ft), and was the first LEED certified convention center. Since its opening in 2004, the DLCC has generated more than $673 million in direct local spending1 to Pittsburgh businesses, much of which has resulted from events attracted by the DLCC’s sustainability focus. To capitalize on the support of the Convention Center’s operations, evolveEA and its consultant team was hired by the Heinz Endowments... 

Praising our Living City Masterplan project, AIA Pittsburgh presented evolveEA with an Urban Design Honor Award at its 2011 Design Pittsburgh Gala. While the masterplan addresses issues that many post-industrial communities are facing, direct community engagement helped us shape the plan in ways that build upon the local culture and uniqueness of the Larimer and Homewood neighborhoods. In collaboration with each community, evolveEA articulated an ecodistrict design method where energy independence, net zero water use, and localized food economies create a new vision for more... 

Alcoa, a global leader in mining, refining and smelting Alumina, has been committed to corporate wide sustainability initiatives since the 1980’s. Alcoa began to report and actively reduce emissions as early as 1993 and has reduced absolute greenhouse gas emissions 37% as of 2010 against their 1990 baseline targets. They’ve won numerous global sustainability leadership awards and have begun to effectively implement strategic sustainability initiative across the corporation. The management staff at Alcoa’s corporate headquarters has similarly been committed to sustainable... 

One of Pittsburgh’s best attributes that has helped bring it to the top of the “livability” list time and time again is its commitment to and connection with nature. The unique thing about Pittsburgh is that, when it comes to sustainability and environmental stewardship, it has support in spades. From for and non-profit environmental groups, government entities, outdoor recreation organizations, and research universities, Pittsburgh has a four tier approach to environmentalism and environmental education not seen in many other cities. While these organizations are mainly... 

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has a strong record of creating and implementing environmental initiatives that come from both top-down mandates and bottom-up efforts. These initiatives result from the creative collaboration between the faculty and students, the facilities team, and leading professionals in the field. evolve has been a strong partner in these efforts, working with the University since 2004 to be a significant driver of University-wide environmental change. evolveEA has helped in the design, construction and operation of over 300,000 sf of facilities renovation...