Located in The Tower at PNC Plaza in Pittsburgh, ‘The Beacon’ sets a new benchmark for engaging the public with sustainability—in an artful way

PITTSBURGH – BUSINESS WIRE (October 9, 2015) –Created by pioneering experience design firm ESI Design for The PNC Financial Services Group, The Beacon, a first-of-its-kind, data-driven media installation located in The Tower at PNC Plaza, pulses with shifting light, color, and sound patterns to express energy and water consumption, water recycling, sun exposure, natural ventilation, waste, composting, use of artificial light, and other building indicators.

Believed to be the world’s greenest skyrise, the new corporate headquarters incorporates ground-breaking green technology and design strategies, which led to LEED Platinum certification, the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest rating.

The Beacon, a soaring, 24-foot-high installation, comprised of 1,584 transparent liquid crystal polycarbonate panels backed with a grid of LED lights, creates a striking and unique media canvas. Drawing on real-time data from the building systems, The Beacon expresses, in real time, how the building uses fresh air and sunlight to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and to create a comfortable and healthy work environment. It also shows how the building is recycling water and how much of The Tower’s waste is being diverted from landfill.

To encourage the public’s engagement with The Beacon, ESI Design created a website (http://pncbeacon.com) accessible on any digital device, including tablets located in The Tower lobby. Visitors to the site can explore the meaning behind The Beacon’s light and sound displays, as well as more about the building’s state-of-the-art technology and design.

According to Gideon D’Arcangelo, VP of Creative Strategy for ESI Design, The Beacon sets a new model for how green buildings can engage and educate the public about sustainable design, green technologies, and the role that tenants and visitors can play in water and energy conservation, recycling, composting, and more.

“Our goal in designing The Beacon for The Tower at PNC Plaza was to transform the way people experience the building—and communicate the many invisible things the building is doing, behind the scenes, to maximize resources,” said D’Arcangelo. “The Beacon is a dynamic, data-driven media installation that is intriguing and beautiful to look at and hear. It also rewards the curious, by explaining itself and encouraging people to dig deeper to learn how the building works and how it is performing at any given moment.”

For The Beacon at The Tower at PNC Plaza project, ESI Design deployed the same design philosophy the ESI Design team uses in producing engaging experiences for retailers, cultural institutions, museums and other public spaces under the leadership of interactive pioneer Ed Schlossberg. ESI drew upon the team’s experience design expertise in a variety of specialized disciplines, including interactive, visual, and website design.

Key members of the project team for The Tower at PNC Plaza include Pittsburgh-based PJ Dick, Inc.; global design firm Gensler; UK-based engineering firm Buro Happold; and Seattle-based environmental consultant Paladino & Company.

A fact sheet and media resources regarding The Beacon are available upon request.

For more information about The Beacon and ESI Design, please contact Jenny Chang at jenny@pkpr.com or 212.627.8098.

For more information about The Tower at PNC Plaza, please contact Emily Krull at emily.krull@pnc.com or 412-762-5654.

About ESI Design

ESI Design has been a pioneer in experience design and audience engagement since its founding by Edwin Schlossberg in 1977. The firm specializes in imagining and creating immersive and interactive environments that help brands, corporations and cultural institutions engage with audiences and customers in innovative, more meaningful ways. A New York-based, multidisciplinary firm, ESI Design has realized memorable experiences, exhibits and environments for such clients as PNC Financial Services Group, Best Buy, Barclays, Staples, AT&T, Comcast, The Edward M. Kennedy Institute, eBay, The Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty Foundation and National Park Service, and Beacon Capital. (www.esidesign.com).

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ESI Design Project Team for The Beacon at PNC Tower

Principal Designer – Edwin Schlossberg
Project Manager – Richard Mullen
Account Director – Tricia Vesey
Production Manager – Morgen Fleisig
Physical Design – Ania Wagner, Hyun Kyu Han
Systems Design – Emily Webster
Technology Design – Lauren Gibbons
Content Design – Debra Everett-Lane, Alex Gallafent
Art Director – Angela Greene, Baldur Helgason
Software Development – Jeff Feddersen
Data Visualization – Jeff Feddersen, Gideon, D’Arcangelo, Lauren Gibbons
Production Assistant – Sarah Frankel