November 9, 2003

“The innovative new David L. Lawrence Convention Center brings an elegant, remarkably functional, and environmentally intelligent facility to Pittsburgh’s riverfront,” say the Center’s developers.

When it receives a Gold LEED award, the facility will be the first certified ‘green’ convention center and the largest green building in the U.S., using features such as natural ventilation, natural 'daylighting,' water conservation, energy efficiency and a stunning and spacious interior enhanced by a quarter of a million square feet of Armstrong recyclable ceilings.

Designed by the New York City-based firm of Rafael Vinoly Architects, the four-story convention center had its grand opening in September 2003. It sits on the bank of the Allegheny River and houses nearly 1.6 million square feet of space.

According to Rebecca Flora, executive director of the Pittsburgh Green Building Alliance, the center was designed to meet multiple design and functional requirements, including green technologies and materials.

When it came to the selection of ceilings in the building, David Rolland, project director for Rafael Vinoly Architects, explains that acoustics and aesthetics were the key considerations.  Acoustical ceilings are used in all public areas of the convention center except the exhibit halls and the ballroom, which are open. 

“All the ceilings first had to meet certain acoustical performance criteria, especially in the pre-function areas, meeting rooms and lecture rooms, where different functions may be going on in adjacent spaces at the same time,” he said.  “Then we considered the aesthetic choices because that’s what people tend to remember most.”

Rolland notes that the architectural firm was looking for a clean, uncomplicated look, especially in the glass-walled pre-function areas located on the perimeter of the building to let people focus on the views outside the building. 

Chosen for use in the new convention center’s meeting rooms, lecture rooms and pre-function areas were Optima® Vector and Ultima Vector ceilings from Armstrong, both of which have excellent acoustical properties and a clean, smooth, upscale visual. In terms of acoustics, the Optima® Vector ceiling features a Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) of 0.90, meaning it absorbs 90 percent of the sound that strikes it.  Ultima Vector has an NRC of 0.70.

From an aesthetic point of view, both have an identical appearance even though one is a fiberglass ceiling and the other is a mineral fiber ceiling.  According to Rolland, this was important because the architectural firm wanted to present the same look in all the public spaces.  Both ceilings also feature the unique Vector edge that produces a sleek ¼” reveal that minimizes the visible grid, creating a ceiling that is more monolithic in appearance than ordinary suspended ceilings. 

Also contributing to the uncomplicated visual was the smoothness of the ceiling panel.  “Even though we may have been able to attain the same acoustical performance from a lay-in ceiling that contains fissures and perforations, we felt the smooth, non-directional finish on the Optima® and Ultima ceilings would be much more aesthetically appealing in the public spaces, and the owners agreed.”

Rolland notes yet another factor was the whiteness of the panels.  Both ceilings have an exceptionally high Light Reflectance (LR) value of 0.89, meaning they reflect 89 percent of the light striking them.  Most commonly installed acoustical ceilings have an LR of 0.70 to 0.81.  The higher level of reflectance helps not only to brighten a space but also increases the penetration of natural daylight into it, an important concern at the convention center.

Rolland notes that while acoustics and aesthetics were the key considerations in the selection of ceilings, recycled content was another factor.  In this regard, the Ultima Vector ceilings contain 66 - 78 percent recycled content; Optima® Vector ceilings contain 25 percent; and the Armstrong Prelude grid on which most of the ceilings are installed contains 25 percent.

The fact that Armstrong offers a ceiling recycling program that allows building owners to recycle old ceiling panels rather than sending them to a landfill for disposal was another plus.  As part of the program, the company even pays for the cost of shipping the old ceilings to their nearest manufacturing plant, where it uses them in the production of new acoustical ceilings. 

Although this was a new construction project, the convention center was able to receive LEED credits because the ceilings are recyclable.  “It may not be a factor now, but in the future, the fact the ceiling can be recycled is a great benefit,” Rolland states.