Environmental Center
The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, in partnership with the City of Pittsburgh, is working to rebuild the Environmental Center at Frick Park. The new Environmental Center will be a showcase of how buildings and nature can complement on another. Both the building and landscape will provide interactive educational opportunities to demonstrate how humans can relate to the natural world in a healthier, more efficient, and more beautiful way.
The building and landscape will provide the critical indoor and outdoor classroom space necessary for program. More importantly, the new Environmental Center will allow all program participants and park users to experience a healthier connection between people and nature.
The educational facility will have a footprint of less than 6,000 square feet and will include multiple/flexible indoor learning spaces, reception area, public restrooms, and storage and other facilities. The design also includes a redesigned entry drive and parking lot, restoration of the historic gatehouses and formal entrance landscape, and improvements to the nearby meadow and woodlands.
Green Design
The project aims to meet the highest possible standards for green design of both the built environment and the landscape, while simultaneously honoring the rich historic design of the park and the needs of current users. We are currently designing to meet the Living building Challenge (LBC) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.
Design Team Selected for Environmental Center at Frick Park
After a public qualifications process, the team that will help shape the future of the Environmental Center has been selected. Led by nationally renowned architecture firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the group consists of artists, environmental restoration specialists, engineers and architects, many of whom have a deep familiarity with Pittsburgh and its parks. Learn more about the Project Team.
We need your help to ensure that the design process and programming for the new Center is inclusive and serves diverse communities from around Pittsburgh. Check this page for updates and community meeting information as we move forward with this exciting project.