Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank – Expansion

Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s newly renovated and expanded facility is contributing to the organization’s mission to leverage the power of community to achieve lasting solutions to hunger and its root causes. The original building was a 95,000 SF former steel-mill that made history when it opened in 2000 as the first LEED-certified building in Pittsburgh and the first LEED-certified food bank in the United States. The expansion project increased the size of the facility to 130,000 SF, adding new offices and additional cooler space to house fresh produce. The renovated Food Bank serves as a Community Resiliency Hub, with the ability to provide surrounding areas with a variety of emergency services in times of crisis. As part of the expansion project, a new converter captures the heat exhaust from food coolers and helps heat the building. The Food Bank also partners with an organization that has a biodigester to turn food waste into fertilizer for use at the organic Food Bank farm, and a rainwater collection system. These strategies helped the project earn points toward the LEED certification, as did the incorporation of building products with positive environmental and health attributes. The project is simulated to use over 25% less energy and over 30% less water than a comparable building, while over 85% of construction waste was diverted from landfills.

2023

Duquesne

Duquesne

LEED Gold

130,000

Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank

Pfaffmann + Associates, Iams Consulting, Massaro Construction, evolveEA