Pittsburgh Dedicates World’s First Parksmart Gold-Certified Parking Garage

Pittsburgh is known for many things. The Steelers. Its 446 steel bridges. And now, the world’s first Parksmart Gold-certified sustainable, eco-friendly parking garage.

On October 4, 2018, the City of Pittsburgh Stadium Authority Board and WTW Architects hosted a Parksmart℠ Gold Plaque dedication ceremony for the new North Shore Gold 1 Garage.  Parksmart is the world’s only rating system designed to advance sustainable and eco-friendly mobility. It does this through smarter siting, design and operations while using fewer resources.

Developed by industry experts and administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), Parksmart projects feature design innovations that reduce environmental impact, increase energy efficiency and performance, improve parking space management, incorporate diverse mobility options and strengthen community relations.

The six-story, $23-million North Shore Gold 1 Garage is located in a rapidly growing area near Heinz Field (home of the Steelers) and PNC Park (home of the Pirates). It features 998 spaces, carpool and bicycle parking, and electric vehicle charging stations.

Loftus Engineers, A McKim & Creed Company, provided electrical, fire protection and limited mechanical engineering services for this project, as a subconsultant to Advantus Engineers. The architect for the facility was Pittsburgh-based WTW Architects.

“Loftus is proud to be a part of the MEP engineering team which designed the world’s first Parksmart Gold-certified, sustainable parking garage. This project was designed and coordinated using REVIT 3D software and was a huge success!” said John Reese, PE, electrical department manager with Loftus.