Frick Environmental Center Earns Sustainability Certification

Pittsburgh Business Times

Frick Environmental Center is the first municipal building free and open to the public in the U.S. to achieve Living Building Challenge certification.

The designation is a rigorous proven performance standard developed by the International Living Future Institute, according to a news release.

To qualify, the building must produce as much energy as it consumes annually, eliminate toxic and harmful chemicals, and collect and treat its own water, the release said.

The 16,000-square-foot center, a shared project between the City of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, was completed in 2016 by architect Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, landscape architect LaQuatra Bonci Associates, and construction manager P.J. Dick Inc.

“Together, we are continuing our leadership in green building standards and environmental education for all,” said Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto in a prepared statement. 

The center earned a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, Platinum status in November. It is one of only 21 buildings in the world to carry the Living Building Challenge designation, and is the second in Pennsylvania along with the Phipps Center for Sustainable Landscapes.

“We are proud to have one of the greenest buildings in the world that also functions as a tremendous resource for our community," said Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy President and CEO Jayne Miller in a prepared statement. "It is truly a regional treasure.” Read the article here