The geothermal heating and cooling system is expected to capture about 70 percent of its heating and cooling energy from the ground’s consistent 57°F temperature, while its heat pump refrigeration cycle (which stores water heated by the sun during the summer months for use in heating the building during the winter, via radiant heat, and vice versa in the summer) takes care of the rest.

Other uber-green features of the CSL include vertical-axis wind turbines, demand-controlled ventilation, and an integrated wetlands/living machine wastewater treatment system. When complete, the building will generate all of its own energy and treat all of its own wastewater on site.

image via Phipps

“Designed and built by people from Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania as an innovation for the world, the CSL will serve as a model for how reconnecting with nature can inspire an abundant and harmonious future,” says Phipps Executive Director Richard V. Piacentini, in a statement. “This addition will give visitors the opportunity to explore, find inspiration and immerse themselves in the beauty of green.”

More information is available online.

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