300 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15222  

The Tower at PNC Plaza exemplifies the convergence of sustainability and aesthetics in modern architecture. Designed with the goal of being the greenest office tower in the world, this LEED Platinum building was constructed to work with the environment to be as efficient as possible. The tower is designed with a solar chimney and vertical thermal shafts to manipulate air flow throughout the building for passive climate control. Other amenities include a café with an outdoor terrace and a floor-to-ceiling windowed indoor park.  

More About this Building:  

• The tower uses 77% less water than a standard office building  
• An engineered natural ventilation system operates 40% of the year to improve air quality while limiting energy use  
• Manual controls for occupants allow them to open and close vents for heating and cooling  
• Rooms are equipped with sensors that rate the city's air quality index for the day, ensuring that natural ventilation doesn’t contribute to poor indoor air quality  
• Fun Fact: The building’s “double-skin facade” exterior allows air to circulate in between the inner and outer window wall cavity to ventilate and insulate with minimal energy