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The dynamic Danish design team at Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) is expanding their North American portfolio after initially setting up an office in New York City for their VIA 57 West development. McCormack Baron Salazar and Pittsburgh Arena Real Estate Redevelopment (PAR) are backing a $500 million BIG-led master plan for the Lower Hill District of Pittsburgh, adjacent to the central core of the Pennsylvanian city.
Until it was demolished in 2012, the 28-acre site housed the Civic Arena where the Pittsburgh Penguins used to play. PAR, an affiliate of the National Hockey League Team, retained the development rights to the site. In place of the current massive lot being used for parking — a blank slate which caught the eyes of BIG and local architect La Quatra Bonci Associates — the New Lower Hill District Master Plan calls for a mixed-use district hosting 1.2 million square feet of residential space and 1.25 million square feet of office, retail, and hotel space. Dutch landscape architecture firm West 8 and environmental design consultants Atelier Ten are also involved in the landmark project.
The plan attempts to intertwine the historical aesthetic of downtown to the west with the natural greenery of its suburbs. Sloping buildings accentuate the steep topography of the landscape, and an array of public plazas and pathways dissect the site. The staggered rooftops of the buildings allow for terraces yielding views of downtown. It will be a return to form for the Lower Hill District, which was a vibrant and predominantly African-American neighbourhood prior to the development of the Civic Arena. The displacement of over 8,000 residents and 400 businesses led to the sharp economic decline of the area.
Though the master plan was first revealed last month, the ground breaking ceremony had already taken place in March. Construction of the street grid network, utilities, and other preliminary undertakings have begun. Known as the Steel City, Pittsburgh experienced an economic downturn in the 1980s that decimated its primary manufacturing sector. Massive layoffs and suburbanization resulted in population loss, from which the downtown is fortunately beginning to recover.
Despite the recession of the late 2000s, Pittsburgh's economy has remained strong, seeing new employment and a rise in property values. Pittsburgh is often found near the top of many 'most livable city' lists. It is frequently heralded as an example of an urban area that can bounce back from economic stagnation and reinvent itself, in this case, as an education, finance, and technology hub.
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