Pittsburgh Architecture Week shares how architects – and all who design and build our spaces and places – create our built environment, how architecture impacts everyone’s daily lives, and highlights our region’s unique architectural identity.

The third annual Pittsburgh Architecture Week was an exciting week full of collaboration, community, celebration, and, of course, architecture. During the week, Pittsburgh came together to listen to dynamic stories, engage in inspiring discussions, learn about Pittsburgh’s buildings, explore prototyping tools, visit architecture studios, and bond over our region’s unique architectural identity. Thank you to everyone who told a story at PechaKucha Night, hosted a building tour, planned a workshop, opened their doors to the public, or joined us at any of the amazing events over the past week!

Learn about the 2024 events below and view more pictures from the week here.

Advocacy Committee at Downtown Farmer’s Market

In preparation for Pittsburgh Architecture Week 2024, the AIA Pittsburgh Advocacy committee set up at the Downtown Farmers Market to talk about architecture with Pittsburgh. Local architects discussed the future of Pittsburgh and what the community wants to see in our built environment in the next 25 years and beyond.

 

Pittsburgh PechaKucha Night

Pittsburgh Architecture Week officially kicked off with night of community, creativity, and conversation at PechaKucha Night. 60+ audience members gathered at Lolev Beer in Lawrenceville to watch 9 dynamic presentations, told in the in the fast-paced, visually engaging PechaKucha 20 images × 20 slides format. Storytellers from diverse fields shared their ideas, passion projects, and unique perspectives on topics including scuba diving, traveling to Turkey, the value of the outdoors, building community through art, and more!

 

Swedish Architects Visit Pittsburgh

In a continuation of the Pittsburgh + Stockholm International Conversations on Design, architects  from Sweden traveled to Pittsburgh during Pittsburgh Architecture Week to view the city’s architecture, meet with AIA Pittsburgh members, and participate in a live panel discussion with local architects and city planners.

During their visit, PWWG, GBA Pittsburgh, and Branch Pattern led a tour of the Museum Lab in Pittsburgh’s Northside and shared insights about the project’s focus on adaptive reuse and sustainability and breathing new life into historic spaces while keeping an eye on the future of design. The visiting architects then visited Carnegie Mellon’s Advanced Robotics/Manufacturing Futures Institutes and Mill 19, where R3A led a building tour that demonstrated how Pittsburgh repurposed iconic structures from it’s past manufacturing heritage into hubs that showcased the city’s new economic direction.

The visitors also stopped by AIA Pittsburgh’s office for lunch with AIA Pittsburgh members and representatives from Pittsburgh City Planning. The group shared presentations on different strategies and solutions employed in each city, exchanged ideas, and made new connections.

 

Architecture Matters Panel: Designing for Wellbeing

In a panel event created in collaboration with the Swedish InstituteArchitects Sweden, the Swedish Consulate-General New York, the Pittsburgh Platform, over 60 architects, landscape architects, city planners, academics, community leaders, and professionals from the US and Sweden gathered at Patterns of Meaning Workshop in the Energy Innovation Center to exchange knowledge and engage in critical discussions about the pivotal role architectural design plays in shaping our built environment. Representatives from Pittsburgh and Sweden shared perspectives on how the design of our places and spaces impact us more than we think in a panel discussion moderated by AIA Pittsburgh Executive Director, Michelle Fanzo.

 

Imagined Futures: Rapid Design Prototyping for Community Development

CannonDesign led a hands-on workshop where attendees played with AI assisted tools, tinkered with prototyping building forms, and reimagined how buildings come to life in our communities. Participants worked in teams to create proposals to address problems like homelessness, flooding, riverfront access, public amenities, bus shelters, and transit improvements in Pittsburgh. Neighbors teamed up to brainstorm wild ideas, then used new technological tools and traditional ideation to bring them to life. As the event progressed, teams were met with new obstacles that challenged their workflows to adapt and react. Attendees left the workshop with a new perspective on how their neighborhoods get developed and a few blueprints for the future!

 

Net-Zero Energy Building Tour: Tree Pittsburgh

Photos courtesy of Duquesne Light Company

AIA Pittsburgh Clean Energy partner Duquesne Light Company collaborated with AIA Pittsburgh and Tree Pittsburgh, and GBBN to hold a tour of Tree Pittsburgh’s all-electric, net-zero energy building. Local architects, designers, and other participants learned about the unique design of the nonprofit’s headquarters, including its highly efficient building envelope, modular construction, and green infrastructure. Participants also toured the tree nursery and learned about Tree Pittsburgh’s work to protect and grow the city’s urban forest.

 

Open Architecture Studio Night

IKM Architecture, LGA Partners, RM Creative, Smith Group, and Urban Design Associates opened their doors to the public, creating five unique open-studio events around the Downtown Pittsburgh Lower Triangle. Visitors were able to go behind-the scenes at architecture offices and learn about local projects from those who designed them. Each firm opened their offices and showcased their work throughout the evening and attendees were be able to make stops at each office at their own pace.

 

How to Advocate for Healthy Change Through Architecture: Sustainable Design in Your Community

Evolve EA hosted a panel of local leaders and experts in the profession for a discussion on strategies to influence and enact cultural change around sustainability at all levels. Panelists shared perspectives on how architecture can help drive cultural change on all scales – from individual decisions to communities, firms, clients, and governmental leadership – and building and development impact our physical health on a daily basis. 

Highrises: The Art and History of Classic Skyscrapers

Pittsburgh Architecture Week 2024 closed out at the Benedum-Trees Building with the opening reception of the city’s newest art gallery with an exhibition of Highrises Collection drone-scan skyscraper images from Pittsburgh and around the country. Author Mark Houser and digital artist Chris Hytha spoke about their journey across the US to find the best classic and Art Deco skyscrapers. 

 

Thank You to Our Architecture Week 2024 Partners!