With the opening of the Tropical Forest originally featuring a Thailand exhibit, the 12,000-square-foot addition represents completion of the most ambitious expansion project undertaken at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens since 1893.
Pittsburgh-based IKM Incorporated architects’ design solution for the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens provides a 34-foot high glass dome that crowns the new Welcome Center. The new entrance includes 11,000 square feet of lobby, ticketing, gift shop and café spaces. The Welcome Center is situated in front of a 7,600 square foot, historic landmark glass house built in 1893.
Due to factors including significant renewed growth in the nuclear service industry, Westinghouse Electric Company chose to relocate its corporate headquarters from the Monroeville area to a new office park development north of Pittsburgh, in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania.