Design: Unconventional Beauty

From the start, the David L. Lawrence Convention Center was intended to embody the idea of “green first.” The planning process began with an international competition funded by local foundations which set forth this challenge: to envision a facility which would become a landmark for the city of Pittsburgh, and a leader in environmental sustainability in every aspect of design, construction, and operations. Of the twenty-five submissions, the design by acclaimed architect Rafael Viñoly was unanimously selected for its innovative combination of beauty and green engineering.

Inspired by the Convention Center’s location at the interface between the Allegheny River and downtown Pittsburgh, the building”s expansive windows blur the boundaries between its interior and its surroundings, filling the space with natural light. The water feature along 10th Street connects visitors to the vibrant Cultural District and to the Three Rivers Heritage Trail along the waterfront.

The building’s unique curving roof was created with a suspension cable system, echoing the structure of the neighboring 6th, 7th, and 9th Street bridges (the historic “Three Sisters”). These cables replace conventional structural columns in the main halls, allowing the spaces to be naturally lit and saving 400 tons of steel in their construction. The roof’s elegant curve is also the key component of the building’s natural ventilation system, which harnesses the aerodynamics of river breezes for zero-cost cooling.

Shortly after its grand opening in 2003, the David L. Lawrence Convention Center was awarded Gold LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification by the United States Green Building Council, making it the first of its kind and one of the largest green buildings in the world.