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... 

When it comes to making a difference, we’ve all been in a place that gets us feeling like what we are doing isn’t making that big of an impact. Research has shown that when the going gets tough, people change their attitudes, not their behaviors. That is to say: when the barriers to change are seen as too difficult to over come, people are more likely to stop caring as opposed to ramping up their efforts to brake down those obstacles. Yes, this is a bleak realization, but there is hope! While the research tells us that people do give up on things they care about, it also... 

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... 

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 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 100,000sf of facilities renovation... 

A progressive developer engaged evolveEA to assist with greening several buildings in the Eastside retail development in Pittsburgh’s underdeveloped East Liberty neighborhood. evolveEA managed the LEED for Core and Shell certification process and advised the developer and design team about the implementation of various greening strategies to increase the overall project value. While locating a retail project in an economically disadvantaged urban environment is inherently green, our involvement advanced ideas for The Mosites Company to consider and evaluate about progressively...