The Assembly (5051 Centre)

LEED Gold, 2022

The Assembly, located at 5051 Centre Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood, is a historic building that once housed a Ford Motor Company assembly plant. In 2022, the building opened its doors for its next life as a world-class biomedical research hub, leased in-part by the University of Pittsburgh.

The Assembly includes new state-of-the-art lab spaces for researchers, a variety of conference rooms, an 250+ seat auditorium, and galleries throughout to highlight the building’s rich heritage.

Pitt leases ~245,00 square feet in the 354,000 square foot building, which is owned by Wexford. It achieved its LEED Gold designation in 2022.

Green Building Highlights 

  • Maintained ~70% of existing historic building’s walls, floors, and roof.
  • Diverted 90% of construction & demolition waste from the landfill (excluding tenant fit-out).
  • 78 bicycle parking spaces & changing rooms, encourage active commuting.
  • Conveniently located near public transportation.
  • 30 electric vehicle chargers available for drivers.
  • Mechanical system includes efficient active chilled beam system.
  • Roof design helps reduce urban heat island effect, including green roof deck.
  • Prefabricated mechanical penthouse helped building meet historic tax credit requirements, reduce construction waste, improved safety, minimize site disruption, & expedite construction.
  • Water efficient landscaping.
  • Construction materials had 32.4% had recycled content and 56% were manufactured regionally (core & shell + parking).
  • Use of low-emitting materials, such as in adhesives and sealants, paints and coatings, flooring systems, and composite wood and agrifiber products.

Architect: ZGF

Contractor: Turner

LEED Consultant: Branch Pattern

  • Read LEED Gold announcement (October 2022)
  • Read May 2022 Pittwire article
  • Read more about the project from Wexford
  • Read 2023 Metropolis Magazine article on project.