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GENERAL BUILDING DATA
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Building Name: |
North Shore Equitable Building |
Location: |
225 North Shore Drive, Pittsburgh, PA |
Building Occupant Names:
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Equitable Gas |
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Continental Real-Estate Co. |
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Starkist Co. |
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P.J. Dick Incorporated |
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EQT Corporation |
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The ASPIRE Foundation |
Occupancy Type: |
Commercial Office Space |
Size: |
180,000 Square Feet |
Stories Above Grade: |
6 (also 1 sublevel for parking) |
Dates Of Construction: |
10/1/03 - 12/31/04 |
Actual Cost Information: |
$70 Million (Total Construction Cost) |
Project Delivery Method: |
Design Build |
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PRIMARY PROJECT TEAM
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN AND FUNCTIONAL COMPONENTS
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The Equitable Resources Building, completed in 2004, is part of the North Shore development project between Heinz Field and PNC Park on Pittsburgh's North Shore. The Equitable Resources Building is 6 stories above grade totaling 180,000 square feet which includes 150,000 square feet of office space on floors 2 to 5 and 30,000 square feet of retail space on the ground level. Also on the ground level is the main lobby, which opens on the north face of the building and provides access to all four of the building's stairwells and elevators. The design of this building also includes a sublevel of parking, which accommodates 80 vehicles. The typical floor to floor height of each story is 13'10".
The foundation design is a combination of steel H auger cast piles. This design accommodates the Allegheny County Port Authority's future plans to extend the light rail transit line from the gateway plaza subway station below Stanwix Street to the North Shore. This extension is designed to pass directly under the building.
Architectural features of this building include towers at the southeast and northwest corners of the building and what is referred to as a "turret" at the southwest corner. The roof includes a 28' x 14'8" skylight and a 12' x 9'1" skylight as well. These features can be seen in the image below.
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bird's eye view ©2010 Microsoft Corporation
Amenities this building offers its tenants include an employee fitness center, a test kitchen for product developement (mainly for tenant Starkist), and the North Shore Riverfront Park (shown below) which offers access to riverside trails and beautiful views of the city beyond the Allegheny River.
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Aerial view ©2010 Microsoft Corporation
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Codes: |
BOCA Code 1999 |
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City Of Pittsburgh Standard Specifications for Public Improvements |
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City Of Pittsburgh Standards for Construction |
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OSHA Hazard Communication Standard |
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ANSI Safety Requirements for Concrete Construction and Masonry Work |
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ADAAG - American's With Disabilities Act |
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CFR - Code of Federal Regulations |
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ACI 318-95 "Building Code Requirements for Reinforced Concrete |
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AISC "Manual of Steel Construction" |
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NFPA - National Fire Protection Agency |
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Allegheny County Plumbing Code |
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National Electric Code |
Zoning: |
DR (Downtown Riverfront) District |
Historical Requirements: |
Not applicable to the best of my knowledge |
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BUILDING ENCLOSURE
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Figure 1 (Turret) |
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Building Facade
The Exterior wall at the "Turret" located in the southwest corner of the building (shown to the left in figure 1), consists of 8" cast stone masonry units extending up to the third level, followed by composite metal panel, asphalt felt and 5/8" exterior gypsum sheathing extending from the third level up to the roof. An aesthetic dome rounds out the top of the turret and extends above the building roof level.
An "area of thickened masonry" (figure 2) is incorporated into the design of the facade at each column line along the exterior at the third level and is called out in the architectural elevations. Typical exterior wall construction around the building (figure 3) consists of cast stone masonry units up to the third level with an ornamental C15x33.9 at the third level. The exterior facade consists of composite metal paneling from the third level up to the roof level. There are also some exterior wall locations that consist of face brick.
Roofing
The typical roof system consists of metal roof decking concealed by a roof membrane, 1/2" protection board, and rigid insulation. The roof parapet (figure 4) consists of metal coping and continuous cleat with a drip edge (typical) mounted on a P.T. wood nailer. The roof is sloped at 1/4" per foot.
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Figure 4 (Roof parapet)
Images contained in all figures are courtesy of Continental Building Systems' set of Architectural drawings |
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Figure 2 (Area of thickened masonry) |
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Figure 3 (Typical wall section at cast stone masonry units) |
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SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES
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Energy recovery units are used in the HVAC system. The facade of the building does not incorporate an excessive amount of exterior glazing which may cut down on energy loss and decrease heating and cooling leads. Some trees were added to the site but not many. A small green space known as the "North Shore Riverfront park" is also a site feature. |
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Photo Courtesy of Strada Architects
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