Dance Building at Point Park U. Earns LEED Gold Rating

A new dance building at Point Park U. was designed so that three more studios can be added later. (Photo by Tom Bell)

Point Park University’s dance-studio building in downtown Pittsburgh is unusual for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that spiffy new downtown buildings devoted to dance are as rare as holiday Nutcracker productions are plentiful.

What’s more, the building has just earned a gold-level rating from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. The project’s sustainable features include energy- and water-saving systems and floors made of sustainably harvested wood. In addition, 20 percent of the materials used in construction had been recycled, and 85 percent of the construction debris was kept out of landfills.

But what’s really interesting is that the 44,000-square-foot, $16-million building, which opened late last year, is designed so that three more studios can be added on top of the existing structure when need arises and money is available. The Pittsburgh architecture firm Design Alliance designed the structure, which now houses five large rehearsal studios and performance spaces, as well as dressing rooms and other facilities.

The building is part of the university’s Academic Village project, which is intended to transform both the university and its neighborhood in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh. The university says the project “will bring new cultural and academic facilities, architectural and streetscape improvements, and greater economic opportunity.”