In a bold approach to adaptive reuse, the design viscerally interweaves new space for the city’s robotics industry within the industrial ruins of a decommissioned steel rolling mill. A post-industrial promenade welcomes the public through a linked series of compelling exterior experiences framed between the monumental 1,360 foot-long existing steel superstructure and three multi-tenant tech buildings sited within. The Mill 19 project accomplishes impressive levels of experiential, sustainable performance and public access within the financial constraints of a speculative core and shell commercial development.
American Institute of Architects (AIA) Commitee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Award
METROPOLIS Planet Positive Best Adaptive Reuse Innovation Award
AIA Minnesota Honor Award
AIA Minnesota Commendation for Excellence in Design for Change
Urban Land Institute (ULI) Pittsburgh Placemaking Award for Excellence as a Visionary Place
NAIOP Pittsburgh Green Building Award
ENR MidAtlantic Best Project in Office/Retail/Mixed-Use Category
The Architect's Newspaper Best of Design Award in the Landscape Category
Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania Project of the Year for Modernization
DEP Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence
Client
Regional Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC)
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Project Type
Developer Work | Workplace
Size
263,200 SF including all three buildings
Certifications
All three buildings certified LEED-NC v.4 Gold
Roles
MSR Design | Lead Architect
MSR Design | Interior Designer
R3A Architecture | Associate Architect
Status
Complete
EQUITABLE COMMUNITIES
Quarter-mile public promenade
ENERGY
95% reduction in operational carbon (inclusive of renewables)
WATER
Integration
Reuse of industrial site to support new American-made innovation and industry
“We couldn't have found a better project that looks at time and how it moves, and how architects deal with old and new. Preserving this Rust Belt history as a workplace and reusing the structure for a solar array combines the past, present, and future in such a compelling way. What an inventive approach, with a good perspective on the cycle of change.”
—AIA Minnesota Honor Awards Jury
The innovative reuse of existing site materials grounds the project’s post-industrial identity, reduces its embodied carbon footprint, and minimizes demolition and construction waste.
As a core and shell, speculative, high-tech commercial space with security and intellectual property concerns, Mill 19’s exterior spaces serve the community, while maintaining privacy for innovative companies located inside. Mill 19’s interiors are all business: the internal building layouts promote flexibility, clear space, and daylighting to meet the needs of the high-tech tenants.
The selected hardy plants can handle stressful weather conditions and alleviate the damaging ecological impact of stormwater runoff off-site.
