The Challenge

The Joint Venture of Turner Construction Company, P.J. Dick Incorporated, and ATS–Chester provided Construction Management (CM) Services for this project. The $375 million project consists of the demolition of several existing buildings, and new construction and expansion of the existing convention center building and foundations to a total of 1.5 million square feet. A rather unique construction feature involves the north face of the building suspended aerially above Fort Duquesne Boulevard by use of inverted triangular steel truss structures.    Project work included both pre–construction services and services during construction.

A primary constraint during this project was the requirement that the project be coordinated in a manner that allows use of the existing convention center facilities during construction and maintains a rigorous construction schedule to coincide with events scheduled for the opening in 2002.

The Interdisciplinary Approach

A very complex project with an extensive number of stakeholders required very close collaboration and management between the owner, architect, engineers, the public, governmental agencies, consultants, subcontractors, and hundreds of construction workers.   The project schedule was very aggressive with the opening so anxiously anticipated by the convention and exposition industry that the building hosted many large trade shows while still under construction.   This required extensive coordination and safety planning.

The Sustainable Result

The building is the largest LEED-certified building and the first Gold LEED-certified convention center in the United States.  The convention center’s distinctive sweeping roof - inspired by the city’s powerful suspension bridges, offers dramatic vistas onto the Allegheny River and historic downtown.  The slope of the roof encourages natural cross ventilation of the main space, taking advantage of the convection currents that draw fresh air from the river.    The building also incorporates a column-free suspension structure utilizing suspension bridge technology that provided cost savings due to the reduction of steel.    Another technical advancement employed, in addition to the custom roof, is the highly flexible-glazed 85-foot-tall curtain wall which uses lateral cable support with insulated glass units that give maximum transparency.

The sustainable result is a state of the art, environmental conscious building that materialized with exemplary performance by the entire project team.