User:Kfulle/PPG Place/Structural Analysis

In the early 1980’s, the city of Pittsburgh was going through a period of transitions. Once a booming hub of commerce from the coal and steel industries, Pittsburgh was facing hard times. A city whose culture and economy was built on fading industries had to make the decision whether it would make the transition with the rest of the world to more current times, or if it would be left in the remnants of its glory days. Here enters Pittsburgh Plate Glass, a company who had called Pittsburgh their home since 1895. In an effort to create a new headquarters for themselves, as well as a meeting place for the businesses and people of Pittsburgh, they began construction on a building that would later be referred to as the “crown jewel in Pittsburgh’s skyline”. Construction began in 1981, and the complex was completed in 1984. Due to the building’s excellence in social, scientific, and symbolic areas, PPG Place is an elegant form of structural art.

In order to define whether a building is in fact structural art, we use three criteria to judge it. The first criterion is the building’s social significance. PPG Place aces this category due to its multifunctional capabilities. Consisting of 6 separate buildings that sit on a total of 5.5 acres, PPG uses this space well1. During a time where the occupancy rate of most buildings in Pittsburgh was 20%, PPG Place had an occupancy rate of almost 90%. Not only is it the headquarters for PPG (which occupies half of the main building), but the building’s 1.5 million square feet of office space is also rented by many other companies1. Additionally, PPG Place is home to a variety of different restaurants, as well as retail stores (which makes up about 70,000 square feet of the building)1. Finally, PPG Place is also home to the Wintergarden and an ice rink. These places during the holidays serve as a gathering place for people from all over Pittsburgh to celebrate the holidays together, while also raising money for charity. Being in the heart of Pittsburgh, it is the perfect central location for all of these businesses to be united.

The second criterion is its scientific significance. At a towering height of 635 feet, the main building is covered in 19,750 pieces of glass2. Although this may sound extravagant, guess who made the glass for this building? Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company. Instead of using loans and resources from the city, they constructed the building with their own materials, which also happen to be very cost efficient. The panels are made of PPG’s Solarban 550 Clear Reflective Glass2. This glass reflects heat in the summer, as well as traps heat in the winter to cut costs of heating and cooling. The glass also has a new technologically advanced technique that absorbs the heat produced by the computers and the equipment and recycles it through the building. The final aspect of the building we must judge is the symbolic significance of the structure. In its neo-gothic style, PPG Place represents a bridge between the old style of Pittsburgh industry, and the new budding economy that began to emerge during the time it was built. Thirty years later, it is still a center for people to gather and celebrate the city of Pittsburgh. With its large out door public square, mimicking the large public squares in Europe, PPG weaves history, business and culture in the heart of a bustling city. Economic efficiency combined with its social and symbolic mastery makes PPG Place a wonderful example of structural art.

References:

"One PPG Place : 1 PPG Place, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania :: Glass Steel and Stone." Global Architecture Encyclopedia. 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2012. .

"PPG Place: Building Info & History." PPG Place: Homepage. Web. 27 Feb. 2012. .

"PPG Place." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Feb. 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2012. .