DLL Convention Centre is the ultimate green architecture for G-20 summit

Built at the cost of $375 million the David L. Lawrence Convention Center is situated along the Allegheny River in downtown Pittsburgh and occupies nearly eight acres of land. Don’t let that fool you; the building has a Gold LEED certificate which more than screams green at you. Pittsburgh is well known to be known as the “City of Bridges.” Architect Rafael Vinoly of Rafael Vinoly Architects (RVA) in New York City, built this green marvel which is hosting the G-20 Leaders’ Pittsburgh Summit on Finance for 2009. Ten percent of the buildings materials are recycled, with over 95% of the demolition waste from the original Center crushed and used as infill. Most part of the building is naturally lit and it also boasts of a state of the art waste water recycling system. The waste water recycling system filters and purifies wastewater from the sinks, fountains and faucets in the building and recycles the water for use in the building’s restroom commodes.

The largest use of water in convention centers occurs in the restrooms. Combined, these two water-savings systems enabled the center to reduce its municipal water usage by 8.5 million gallons in 2008.
The signature swooping roof of the building draws its inspiration from the many suspension bridges that span across Pittsburgh’s three rivers. The building features 236,000 square feet of column-free space in the main halls with more than 31,000 square feet of ballroom space and nearly 80,000 square feet of meeting space in 53 rooms.
[WorldArchitectureNews]