Case Study: New PNC Bank Tower One of World's Greenest

It’s also unusual as a high rise tower with a powder coated finish.

PPG Industries with global headquarters in Pittsburgh, announced that SUNGATE® 400 passive low-emissivity (low-e) coated glass, STARPHIRE ULTRA-CLEAR™ glass and CORAFLON® powder coatings were used on The Tower at PNC Plaza.



The skyscraper features an innovative double-skin façade, unique to North America, designed to help the building ventilate naturally during more than 40 percent of the year. The inner and outer curtain walls incorporate aluminum extrusion window frames finished with fluoropolymer powder coating in Gray Mica and glass laminated or fabricated into dual insulating glass units.



The glass used is engineered to maximize the environmental performance of buildings in northern climates by harvesting solar energy in the winter to diminish heating loads and by admitting high levels of daylight year-round to reduce lighting costs. It is also produced with a proprietary low-iron formulation producing clear, transparent float glass.



With their solvent-free, ultra-low-VOC formulations, fluoropolymer powder coatings promote sustainable design while providing hard, durable UV-resistant surfaces that retain color and gloss for decades.



The two-layer façade for The Tower at PNC Plaza is equipped with a motorized outer layer and a manually operable inner layer of louvers that draw fresh air across building floors, where it warms, rises through two shafts in the building’s core and exhausts through the roof. Narrow floor plates and highly transparent glass enable light to penetrate 92 percent of work spaces throughout the building.



All in all, the beautiful tower offers sunlight and ventilation during the workday, making for a better, greener user experience.



Photo credit: Tom Cwenar