THE DAVID LAWRENCE CONVENTION CENTER: HOW GREEN BUILDING DESIGN AND OPERATIONS CAN SAVE MONEY, DRIVE LOCAL ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, AND TRANSFORM AN INDUSTRY

When the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh was completed in 2003, it was one of largest green buildings in the country. Its success proved that sustainability principles could be integrated into a breathtaking and high-performing design. Using almost a decade of performance data, this study, led by evolveEA, was commissioned to understand the level of building performance and the return on the initial investment in sustainability. With input from Carnegie Mellon University's Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics, CJL Engineering, and Civil and Environmental Consultants, the Buildings-in-Operation (BiO) study demonstrates that: investment in high performance systems can yield direct savings and improved sustainability operations and maintenance practices; green building projects can accelerate broader organizational sustainability efforts; green buildings can create major benefits for a region, including additional commerce and an increased uptake of green building de...