High Point Park (Spring 2010)

UPMC rooftop competition

Site: U.S. Steel Tower, Pittsburgh, PA

Collaborators: Pablo Garcia (Team Leader); A. Azoulai, M. Abraham, J. Soh, J. Koon, D. Chow, J. Pun, S. Harrison (Architecture); J. Peterson, A. Jain, S. Mishra, S. Agarwal, B. Wiewiora (Business)

This proposal for a destination park atop the U.S. Steel Tower uses dynamic media technologies to transform the Pittsburgh skyline. Media Screens, supported by extensions to the existing Steel Structure, soar to 100 feet, projecting images to both park goers (as frontal projection) and to the city (as rear projection). They also act as windscreens for a new landscape, shaped to resemble the regional topography. The landscape is a cutting-edge green roof with superior drainage and water collection elements. Beneath the landscape, a 30,000sf interior space provides all-weather observation areas as well as an interactive mediatheque. The flexible space includes a 150-seat auditorium, restaurant/café, and open area for media production, presentation, and exhibition. Both indoor and outdoor spaces present opportunities for special events common to parks around the world, but made unique by the context. In warm weather, movies, concerts, and performances all occur with the simultaneous backdrop of live and recorded images and long vistas. In cold weather, the acreage and topography allow for winter activities such as ice skating, skiing, and sledding with a dynamic backdrop.