In developing the Center for Sustainable Landscapes in Pittsburgh, the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens took aim at unprecedented levels of achievement in green building. The 24,350-sq-ft education, research and administration facility was designed to be the first in the world to meet three separate green building standards: LEED Platinum, Four-Stars Sustainable Sites Initiative certification for landscapes and The Living Building Challenge. The $15-million project, which was completed in January 2013, achieved the first two standards last year and now is being evaluated for Living Building Challenge recognition.
Meeting those goals required an intense, integrated design process as well as exhaustive research into specified materials. Richard Piacentini, executive director at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, says the owner recognized the interconnectivity of the facility's systems and chose to require an integrated design process with a facilitator, hired by the owner. "We wanted everyone moving together in the same direction, understanding how each system affects everyone else," he said.