New Frick Environmental Center Designed To Entertain, Educate, Conserve

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

There's a new attraction in town that could prove popular among nature-loving families on the hunt for educational outings — particularly on wet, cloudy days this fall.

Whenever it rains, an 80-foot-tall veil of water will cascade down a sloped roof and flow in sheets over the northern facade of the newly constructed Frick Environmental Center, creating a visual spectacle while pumping fresh rainwater into a garden and children's play area.

The so-called “rain veil” feature is among strategic design elements and artful touches with kids and the environment in mind that have gone into Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy's construction of the center overlooking woodland trails in the northwest section of Frick Park, the city's largest at 115 acres. The three-story complex and surrounding facilities — a project of the city of Pittsburgh and nonprofit Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy — replace the former environmental center that burned to the ground on the about 3-acre site in 2002... Read the full article