Leaders Break Ground on Second Neighborhood 91 Building

Expansion is underway at Pittsburgh International Airport’s innovative advanced manufacturing hub, with officials breaking ground on a new 108,000-square-foot facility at the Neighborhood 91 campus.

The project, led by the Regional Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC) in partnership with the Allegheny County Airport Authority (ACAA), represents the latest phase of growth for the advanced manufacturing campus located adjacent to the airport. The new building will sit on approximately 5.8 acres within the nearly 200-acre N91 site.

“We are building a home for a strategic industry cluster in advanced manufacturing particularly additive manufacturing,” said RIDC President Donald F. Smith Jr. “This site is the foundational asset that will attract other companies and talent and enable us to announce the next building and the next building and the building after that.”

Officials say construction on the new multi-tenant building is expected to begin this summer, further expanding a campus that has quickly become a national model for additive manufacturing and supply chain integration.

RIDC hopes to announce an agreement with an anchor tenant in the coming months.

Additive manufacturing has become one of the most rapidly expanding areas of today’s industrial economy, enabling companies to produce intricate parts more efficiently, reduce material waste and speed up production compared to conventional manufacturing methods. Sectors including aerospace, defense, healthcare and consumer goods are adopting these technologies at a growing rate, creating significant economic development potential for regions equipped with the necessary workforce, infrastructure and organizational support.

“This expansion showcases Allegheny County’s strategy to strengthen advanced manufacturing, clean energy innovation and tech driven economic growth,” said Sara Innamorato, Allegheny County Executive. “Neighborhood 91 is the first campus of its of its kind in the entire world. It is unique and intentionally designed space to bring the entire additive manufacturing and supply chain together in one location. Today’s groundbreaking is more than just a construction milestone; it’s a statement of confidence in the future of Allegheny County.”

The $16 million construction costs of the new building will be funded in part by Allegheny County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in addition to equity from RIDC.

“Neighborhood 91 is a prime example of public private partnerships that can exist when research from our leading universities meets investment from private industry all located here in airport property,” said state Sen. Devlin Robinson, whose district includes the airport.

Located on the western end of the airport property, Neighborhood 91 was created with the goal of building an advanced manufacturing ecosystem that consolidates and connects all components of the additive manufacturing supply chain into a single powerful production center.

It is ideally suited with its proximity to Pittsburgh International Airport, with rail, waterway and highways also conveniently located nearby. This allows companies to move their products quickly throughout the world in a short period of time.

“What we’re seeing is that it works,” said Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO Christina Cassotis. “Those companies who are working here are producing faster and better because they are co-located. What used to take months now takes days or weeks. That is proof of concept and the success of that first phase that created the momentum that has given us the confidence to keep going and to keep investing.

“We really want to make sure that the future of manufacturing is here in Pittsburgh because we make things. And we can keep making them, and we can make them better than anybody.”

The first building on the site is fully occupied with companies, including HAMR Industries LLC, Cumberland Additive, Metal Powder Works (MPW), RJ Lee Group and Westmoreland Mechanical Testing and Research.

The new building is expected to build on that momentum, providing space for additional companies seeking proximity to airport logistics and a collaborative innovation environment. Regional leaders say the expansion is key to strengthening Pittsburgh’s position as a hub for next-generation manufacturing technologies.

“What we are building here is a modern day manufacturing Silicon Valley,” said John Barnes, President, The Barnes Global Advisors, a partner in the development. “Think of it as a destination where companies that want to be part of the future of manufacturing come because they know it’s where it’s happening. We’re not waiting for them to find us. We’re building something so compelling they can’t afford not to be here.”