KSBA Architects - LEED* 1.0 Pilot Project

The offices of KSBA Architects are located in the historic Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh. The renovation of this building created the first LEED rated building in the City of Pittsburgh. It received a LEED 1.0 Bronze rating for its outstanding transformation. Lessons learned in the AT&T AICS project were applied to KSBA's new offices. The Scope newsletter provides insight into the benefits of a quality lighting environment.

The former funeral home stable was converted into a radiator shop before finally being adopted and rejuvenated by KSBA. The high ceiling architectural studio was illuminated with indirect 400 watt pulse start metal halide lamps. The metal halide lamps provided the energy efficiency necessary to obtain the LEED rating. The indirect luminaires distributed uniform illumination on the work tables and glare free illumination at the computer workstations. Lamp image was not an issue in any of the monitors.

Skylights were included in the design to provide free-illumination when weather conditions were right. Adequate sunshine for day lighting is an issue in the Northeastern USA and especially so in Pittsburgh. The percentage of overcast days was taken into consideration when determining the size of skylight for the application.

*LEED: The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. See Awards for further information.