Astorino has added three more designs to its list of LEED® certified projects, bringing the firm’s number of LEED certified projects up to 21 (2 Platinum, 7 Gold, 10 Silver, and 2 Certified), totaling over 5 million sf and $1.65 billion in construction cost. Paramount Senior Living at Peters Township was awarded LEED Silver certification by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). The three-story personal care home includes 96 living units, central and private dining rooms, a commercial kitchen, administrative offices, activity rooms, a dementia care unit and nurses’ stations.The project attained all pre-requisites and 55 points under the LEED-NC v2009 Rating System. The Palm Beach State College Technical Education Center in Belle Glade, FL has achieved a LEED Platinum...

Name: Matt Brind’Amour Firm: Brind’Amour Design Years in practice: 6 Education: ‘06 B Arch -  The Pennsylvania State University w/ Honors in Architecture from the Schreyer Honors College Your first job: Carter & Burgess in Baltimore designing CVS drug stores throughout the D.C. metro area and beyond. Project you’re proudest of: Laurel Mountain Christian Camp.  This was a large project taking an existing Girl Scouts Camp and renovating some of the buildings and building 10 new cabins in addition to a beautiful new dining hall and other support buildings and site elements.  The natural, picturesque site sits in the heart of the Laurel Highlands and the buildings are really a great addition to the locale, with nods to an adirondack...

Building Information Modeling (BIM) has changed the way the construction industry interacts and communicates internally. Project plans have moved beyond two-dimensional design to multi-dimensional models that have parametric capabilities. The American Institute of Architects has commenced an effort to evaluate the continued development and adoption of BIM and the impact it has on contracts. As part of this effort, AIA is updating its BIM and Digital Practice documents for use on construction projects involving digital data or BIM, and have made the updated documents available for public comment. The feedback received will help to deliver the most relevant and complete documents possible. During this unique opportunity, the draft documents are available for review through the AIA Contract Documents website. After...

In each lifetime, it seems there is an event, often some tragic happening, in which time stands still.  From this moment we can focus our lives, pinpointing our exact location and reaction. We refer to life pre- and post-event. For many, including my parents, the first such tragedy was the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Who among us has not viewed the famous Zapruder film that so graphically captures those fatal few seconds? At the time, a home video was still a rarity; technological advances have made witnessing such moments a common occurrence. I can still recall watching the live broadcast of the fall of the Berlin Wall, as people scrambled over that which had been a symbol of...

“CANstruction is using one can of food as a catalyst for change. One can to represent the building blocks of massive sculptures. One can to prove that every act of kindness makes a difference. Since 1992, CANstruction has contributed over 15 million pounds of food to community food banks demonstrating that we can win the fight against hunger. Wherever a CANstruction competition is held, thousands of hungry people are fed, a greater awareness of the issues surrounding hunger is brought home to the public, and a spotlight is placed on the design and construction industry giving back to the communities it helps build.” Pittsburgh’s CANstruction will be held for the 2nd year at One Oxford Centre, where teams will build...

Pittsburgh is commonly referred to as the biggest small town – with its 80+ neighborhoods, there is always something happening and it’s easy to miss out on any number of events due to shear quantity.  Here is a look at an upcoming community event that Columns thought may be of interest to you…. And if you know of others, please let us know! The LESLIE Collective has been producing unusual, family-friendly events in empty LESLIE Park Pool for over 3 years to re-imagine a use for a decommissioned CitiParks pool in Lawrenceville.  They’ve done it again! Art Activity Day on Sunday August 19th, 12pm-5pm, kicks off “Project: Lido,” a curated art installation that uses this gorgeous urban ruin as inspiration. ...

It’s been a hot summer, and whether you find yourself shaking the sand out of your flip flops or daydreaming while staring out at that clear blue sky, it’s time to find your focus and start thinking about Design Awards.  Entries, for both local and national design competitions, are due towards the end of August.  There’s also a BBQ/House Tour you won’t want to miss and AIA Pittsburgh’s Annual Meeting – “Adapt, Survive, and Thrive” -  where we’ll be looking at the profession and how recent changes – both external and internal – have impacted the foreseeable future. August 14 – YAF Steering Committee Meeting: Join AIA Pittsburgh’s YAF for the monthly steering committee meeting. Learn all about what this...

In a city still plagued by pay-to-play and machine politics, it almost goes without saying that many of our best leaders are not in elected office. This past weekend, we lost one of those individuals. Mark Schneider was killed in an accident doing what he loved best, riding his bicycle. By now, many of you will have read the accolades of what Mark contributed to the city as a developer and as a volunteer. His contributions were indeed numerous but most notably he backed projects which took great vision and grit to pull off. We take Washington’s Landing and Summerset at Frick Park for granted now but when Mark was thinking of them and advocating for them, the majority of...