AIA Pittsburgh

12/18/2025

12/16/2025

AIA Pittsburgh is excited to present the sixth episode of "Perspectives," a video series inspired by the personal and professional history of our chapter's long-standing and accomplished members.

In this episode, Amanda Markovic, AIA, Principal at GBBN, former AIA Pittsburgh Board member, and champion of the Pittsburgh Architecture Foundation Blueprint for Better Campaign, discusses her approach to community-forward design, particularly in affordable housing and libraries, and the importance of elevating advocates in the profession, convening different community voices, and connecting architects to broader civil dialogues. Watch the full interview, conducted by Jason Andrews, AIA and edited by Gustavo Bernal here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCGmy2n_9-4&list=PL6QZtVZwCITMC6XZi7nD6L6tAqiPsDhaD

12/01/2025

December is packed with fun, festive events and great opportunities to learn, connect, and celebrate with the Pittsburgh architecture community! From continuing education and city meet-and-greets to statewide awards, holiday gatherings, and our Annual Meeting & President’s Party, there’s something for everyone this month.

Join us as we wrap up the year with connection, collaboration, and celebration of all the incredible work happening across our region. We hope to see you there! Registration links below:

AIA Pennsylvania Design Excellence Awards Broadcast: Thursday, December 4, 5:30pm-8:45pm @ Rothschild Doyno Collaborative
Register here: https://aiapa.org/events/2025-architectural-excellence-awards-broadcast-viewing-parties/

Procrastinator's Day: Friday, December 5, 8:30am-4:10pm @ AIA Pittsburgh
Register here: https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/vHIcbnVB6mD27bOqzvM6IA

Meet & Greet with the City of Pittsburgh Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections: Friday, December 5, 2:00pm-4:00pm @ One Stop PGH
Register here: https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/qC8gQoxygtnvFil7inhGQw?t=1763674925

AIA Pittsburgh Annual Meeting & President's Party: Tuesday, December 9, 5:30pm-8:30pm @ Shelton Design / Build
Register here: https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/0Q7uTwW2Li38zARUXdZsxw

AIA-DBIA Holiday Mixer: Wednesday, December 10, 5:30pm-7:30pm @ North Fayette Industry Public House
Register here: https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/spYFECUX0e-xgMYQhyms-A?t=1763060299

11/21/2025

The LIGHT Center Playbook
Architecture Firm: Perkins Eastman
Project Team: Jane Hallinan; Nasra Nimaga; Sean O'Donnell; Jeffrey Young

The LIGHT Center Playbook reimagines school spaces as adaptable, trauma-informed environments for humanitarian education. Organized through five conceptual “planes”—threshold, stage, display, room-within-a-room, and furniture—it provides schools with a replicable framework that balances collaboration, creativity, and reflection.

This architectural strategy supports the LIGHT Education Initiative, a K–12 program and flagship of the Tree of Life Foundation, which empowers students through applied learning and civic engagement. More than classrooms, LIGHT Centers are civic hubs where pedagogy and design unite to foster empathy, resilience, and community.

11/21/2025

Steel City Squash
Architecture Firm: GBBN
Project Team: Mick McNutt; Mark Lee; Mel Ngami; Anne Chen
General Contractor: Mark Mechler, PJ Dick
MEP Engineering: Alex Radkoff, Allen & Shariff
Structural Engineering: Mike Wuerthele, TranSystems (formerly WBCM)
Civil Engineering: Jack Harding, Sci-tek
Mural Artist: Alecia Dawn Young, Alecia Dawn Young,
Mural Consultation: Casey Droege, The Art Supply Company
Photographer: Brad Feinknopf

Steel City Squash’s new headquarters provides a permanent home for after-school squash and tutoring programs, integrated into Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood through close collaboration with the community. As the region’s largest facility, it quickly became a hub—hosting national championships and inspiring local residents with new opportunities for sport, education, and personal growth.

11/21/2025

Diamond Ridge
Architecture Firm: NEXTarchitecture
Project Team: Christopher Pless, AIA , Rachel Pless, NCIDQ, Paul Bench, AIA, Tony Kosec, AIA, Daniel Delisio, AIA, Cara Cassandro, Taylor Schaffron, NCIDQ
Structural Engineer: Keystone Structural Solutions
MEPFP Engineer: WNA Engineering,
Energy Consultant: 3R Sustainability
Civil Engineer: Civil Environmental Consultants
Developer/General Contractor: NAI Burns Scalo
Photographer: Elliott Cramer

Emerging at the beginning of Covid, Diamond Ridge was designed to challenge what an office building can be. With design elements that invite the outdoors inside, Diamond Ridge successfully transforms itself from a standalone workplace into a vibrant connector of community, nature, and innovation. Located along the Parkway West Corridor, Diamond Ridge dissolves the boundaries between work, community, and landscape. The campus is the keystone of an expansive 780-acre mixed-use development known as the Market Place District that is surrounded by the Montour Trail. The development features sports courts along with a mile-long loop path that connects to the popular pedestrian/bike experience. These features are designed to pull people to the outdoors to engage with the much larger master-planned development that provides basic needs in the nearby areas : townhomes and apartment, hotels, senior living, a daycare, shopping and dining. The interior of Diamond Ridge is complimentary to its surrounding landscape. Common spaces are populated with living hanging plants, and open-air café, and an abundance of natural light. Diamond Ridge is not just a building – it is a statement about the future of work : flexible, connected, and deeply rooted in place.

11/13/2025

11/12/2025

From Pitt to Butler to Squirrel Hill, these local homes and buildings have won the 2025 Design Pittsburgh Awards.

11/12/2025

Last week, we celebrated the best in design at the 2025 Design Pittsburgh Awards Ceremony - read all about the awards in Pittsburgh Magazine!

For its annual contest, AIA’s Design Pittsburgh program honored a number of local architects and designers for their work on projects such as the Glasshouse, Allegheny Branch House Lofts and The Eatery at Litchfield Towers.