A unique, breathable facade covers The Tower at PNC Plaza in Pittsburgh
LEED Platinum Certified, the Tower at PNC Plaza is an 800,000 square feet headquarters for the PNC bank in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Planned as a landmark building, both with regards to design and in terms of environmentally friendly solutions, the 33-story (545 feet) tall tower was estimated to cost $400 million when announced in 2011. Incorporating state-of-the-art green technology, including a double-skin facade and solar chimney, the building was designed to exceed LEED Platinum certification and to be the greenest office tower in the world. The building was designed by Gensler and main contractor was PJ Dick.
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Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Sector
Commercial Buildings
Project Type
New build
“The research told us that 45% of the time we would be able to open our windows for fresh air and essentially turn off the mechanical ventilation in the building. We had to create a double skin that operated through a building control system that would open during the optimal weather days…”
Doug Gensler
Managing Director - Gensler Boston
Breathable double-skin facade
The Tower's one-of-a-kind, breathable double skin facade features a glass outer barrier that protects the inner layer from the changing outdoor elements. The inner layer has automated air vents and manually operated slide doors. A series of automatic sensors on both layers open up the building for air when the weather permits. An innovative solar chimney creates a stack effect through the core of the building to ventilate excess heat without the need for mechanical ventilation.
Read the case study from Buro Happold
A LEED platinum Tower that's the Greenest in the World
Actuator technology with genuine synchronization
The main reason for choosing WindowMaster as a supplier for this project is the MotorLink® technology that enables genuine synchronization of four actuators on one parallel window and exact position control and feedback via the BACnet BMS.
Intelligent control of windows: MotorLink®
MotorLink® is a communication technology that enables 2-way control and feedback between window actuators and the Building Management System via the MotorController. All WindowMaster control systems are MotorLink® capable with many of our actuators. Click below to learn more and see related products.
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Manufacturer and distributor
WindowMaster manufactured and delivered more than 6300 actuators to control 700 parallel windows in the outer double skin façade and 1450 automated air vents in the inner facade.