Resilient Energy Design Builds Future-Proofing into PIT’s Transformation

Pittsburgh International Airport is integrating resilient energy strategies for the future into its new terminal and parking garage from the ground up.

“What we’re trying to accomplish right now with both our new buildings and our energy program is to have things that are long-lasting and that are adaptable to change in the future,” said Chad Willis, director of planning with the Allegheny County Airport Authority.

The two key certifications the ACAA is measuring its progress against are LEED certification for the new terminal and Parksmart certification for the new parking structure.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design, certification offers a checklist of design and construction best practices that address a structure’s planning, design, construction and operations while considering energy, water, indoor environmental quality, materials selection and location.

Each item offers points toward a final certification grade, and the transformed Pittsburgh International Airport is aiming for LEED Gold certification.

“When any project identifies aspirational goals like that early on in the project, it just sets the stage to bring together the best designers, the best collaborators, the best project team in general to set that project on a path forward toward success,” said Jenna Cramer, president and CEO of the Green Building Alliance, a non-profit focused on innovative building practices in Western Pennsylvania.

When the LEED rating system was established in 1998, three of the first 13 buildings to receive certification nationwide were in Greater Pittsburgh. And the city is home to many firsts, including the first LEED food bank (Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank), the first LEED convention center (David L. Lawrence Convention Center) and the first LEED dormitory (Carnegie Mellon University Stever House).

Similarly to LEED, Parksmart certification focuses on reduced operations costs, better energy efficiency and back-end systems like lighting and air in parking structures.

One of the innovative features of the energy strategy for the new terminal is the re-use of rainwater, which will be collected from the rolling roof of the building, stored beneath the building, and used in places like the terrace gardens. This cuts down on water use, saves money and creates a failsafe in the event of issues or interruptions from the public water supply.

This design element mimics the rationale behind other PIT campus features such as the microgrid, an energy source that allows the airport to be self-sufficient and maintain operations even amid any local energy outages.

The new terminal also addresses LEED certification by including many locally sourced materials, among them the tree column paint, the metal ceilings and the terrazzo flooring.

A direct use of a hyperlocal material was the crushed concrete, which was removed from the existing airfield at PIT to clear land for the new terminal and then recycled to fill areas across the construction site.

That allowed higher-grade materials to be directed for use in places like the retaining walls leading up the new terminal front bridge, providing a boost to quality in high-profile locations and saving money.

“You have this opportunity with new construction where you can always be very innovative, be very forward-thinking, and also create something that is beautiful and long-lasting and provides a multitude of benefits,” Cramer said.

For the ACAA’s energy goals, building a new terminal, parking structure and roadway system offered an opportunity to incorporate efficiency and future-proofing early in the design phase, something that simply was not possible with the current terminal.

“We had a facility that wasn’t really malleable enough to change it to continue to work for us in a very evolved airport industry and a completely different aviation ecosystem than when it was built,” Willis said.

Willis said these design choices create a ripple effect—energy efficiency allows PIT to be a strong partner to airlines, concessions, local business and the community at large for years to come.

“We need to be a conduit to help them achieve their goals,” Willis said.

Pittsburgh International Airport’s new terminal opens in 2025.