PJ DICK.

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P.J. DICK INC. – THREE PNC PLAZA

Spatafore says. “We got very near the water

table, which was problematic. However, the
completed garage was easier than what the
original plans called for.
“The original design had the garage
going deeper. We worked with the archi-
tect and owner to condense the height of
each level, which got us just above the
water table. When we started construc-
tion, we remained in close contact with
the Army Corps of Engineers’ water sta-
tions to keep from going below the water
table; this also allowed us to plan better
and work around the rains.”
Spatafore says open communication
has been important throughout the proj-
ect. To keep the design in line with the
budget, P.J. Dick worked closely with the
designer; the designer was located in
California, so most of the communica-
tion was done via e-mail and phone.

A Big Green Branch

PNC says it has more buildings certified
by the U.S. Green Building Council
(USGBC) than any other company in the
world, including more than 40 “green
Three PNC Plaza was designed to meet USGBC standards, and is expected to be one of the nation’s branch” locations, which are constructed
largest green, mixed-use buildings. P.J. Dick deconstructed existing buildings on the site to salvage more primarily with recycled or green materi-
than 65 percent of the materials, and is recycling most of the construction waste.
als, use 50 percent less energy than a tra-
ditional bank branch and reduce landfill
waste by 150 tons per branch. The con-
struction of Three PNC Plaza, the compa-
ny explains, expands upon its commitment
to sustainability.
“Communities benefit when corporate
leaders such as PNC commit to economic,
social and environmental responsibility,”
said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and
founding chairman of the USGBC. “Three
PNC Plaza has the potential to be a high-
performance green building that is not
only environmentally responsible but one
where employees can thrive and productiv-
ity can soar.”
The building was designed to meet
USGBC standards, PNC says, and is expect-
ed to be one of the nation’s largest green,
mixed-use structures; the hotel, managed
by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, is projected
to be the world’s first USGBC-certified
hotel under the flag of a major chain.
Three PNC Plaza will use natural light and
high-efficiency heating and cooling sys-
tems that will enable it to exceed national
energy efficiency standards by 10 to 15
percent, and its use of refrigerants will

86 ■ WWW.CONSTRUCTION-TODAY.COM ■ FEBRUARY 2009