Jul 21 2009
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC) today debuted plans to create an environmentally friendly living wall at its Pittsburgh headquarters.
Rendering of Raised Green Wall
The 2,380 sq. ft., soil-based Green Living™ Wall on the south-facing exterior of One PNC Plaza will be the largest in North America. A variety of plants suited to the region will grow into living art on the wall above the corner of Fifth Avenue and Wood Street.
"The wall will be a fitting reminder that PNC is the world-leader in green building," said PNC Director of Corporate Real Estate Gary Saulson. "City sidewalks are cooler and quieter thanks to shade and sound absorption by green walls and urban planting. Together with our recently announced PNC Triangle Park just one block away, the wall will create much needed green space in the Fifth Avenue corridor and offers a distinctive welcome to PNC's downtown campus."
PNC has constructed more green buildings certified by the United States Green Building Council under its LEED® program than any other company in the world. Its roster includes 64 trademark Green Branch® locations and two office buildings. More Green Branch locations and two other office buildings are either under construction or awaiting certification.
The wall is a product of Green Living™ Technologies (GLT) of Rochester, N.Y. and designed by Mingo Design of New York. Plant Connection is the US Distributor and Lead Grower for Green Living Technologies. Cenkner Engineering Associates of Coraopolis, Pa. and BD&E Strategic Branding and Design of Pittsburgh provided engineering and additional design. PNC acquired all hardware, plants, materials and installers within a 500 mile radius from Pittsburgh.
PNC expects the green wall to be installed in September 2009, pending municipal approval. The wall mount consists of a stainless steel bracketing and panel system anchored directly into One PNC Plaza's reinforced concrete masonry. Six hundred two panels of soil-based growth medium will weigh approximately 24 tons when fully watered via an internally controlled irrigation system.
"The PNC wall was carefully designed with plants that provide a wide variety of textures and color to accommodate not just the geographic region but the existing micro climate. This wall may require just 15 minutes of watering once a week," said GLT partner and co-founder George Irwin. "It also offers cooling for the building. Preliminary studies show a south facing Green Living Wall can be 70 to 80 degrees cooler than other surfaces on the same building."
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. is one of the nation's largest diversified financial services organizations providing retail and business banking; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management; asset management and global fund services.