ALCOA CORPORATE CENTER, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1994 - 1998.

A L C O A F A Q

frequently asked questions
(-- in anti-chronological order --)

      * Q : What is the nature of the collaboration between The Design Alliance and Rusli Associates in the Alcoa project?

(ref.: -- Gordon Wright, "Programmed for Productivity," Building Design & Construction Aug. 1999, cover, pp.32-35; -- Trish Hall, "Place: And the Walls Came Tumbling Down," The New York Times Magazine, Dec. 13, 1998 pp. 82-86; -- Patricia Davis, "Building Meant to Keep Them Talking," The Wall Street Journal, Nov. 4, 1998 p. B12; -- Donald Miller, "A Positive Reflection," "A Triumph Over Pretension," The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sep. 18, 1998 pp. A1, B1-5; -- Cheryl R. Towers, "Technology Samplers," Columns AIA Pittsburgh, Vol.12, No. 7, Sep. 1988, front-cover, p.8; -- Patricia Lowry, "A Headquarters with a View," The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Apr. 17, 1997 pp. A1-4, and others)

A : With a reputation for its corporate interior work in Pittsburgh, The Design Alliance Architects (TDA) was hired by Alcoa to do the interior renovation of the 31st. floor of the existing Alcoa Building, followed by the new building.
Rusli Associates was the Architectural Design Consultant for the new building from the feasibility study to the end of Construction Documentation / Working Drawing phase.
Agus Rusli was the design principal for the design of the building.
TDA -- with its principal-in-charge Marty Powell -- managed and administered the project from the beginning to the end. (Known for his business, marketing skills, and as the prime contractor of the project, Mr. Powell often assumes the role of spokesperson and salesperson for the project.) TDA assisted Alcoa to find the site for the new building and prepared premilinary feasibility studies for it. With Alcoa and its consultants, TDA formulated the program and specified the requirements for the new building. Also in close collaboration with Alcoa, TDA was the interior designer / space planner of the interior furniture of the office. TDA was responsible for staffing, scheduling, and coordinating the Construction Documentation / Contract Administration phases of the work.
Rusli Associates conceived, conceptualized, and executed practically all aspects and elements of the "design" of the "building" -- i.e. its "architecture": the volumetric arrangement, distribution of spaces, circulation system, mechanical services (service-core outside the office floor, office floor as a 90ft-wide "bar" building, etc.); the building's "smart" technologies, curtainwall, sunscreen; the atrium, atrium's skylight, interior bridges, escalators, elevators, and the core-structure that supports and houses them; mechanical towers, side-walk and entrance pavilions etc. etc., down to the grills and handrails, for others to engineer and build.
As with most other designer of buildings, the role of Rusli Associates here was simply -- but precisely -- to give shape to the program, to supply form and technological knowledge to the client's needs and specifications, to transform its business requirements into space, glass, and steel; to introduce "concepts" to ensure that these needs and requirements are met, especially those (physical) concepts that are able to catalyze the meeting of these goals ... -- i.e. "to give (architectural) expression to (business) ideas," all with the assistance of many other expert consultants in their respective fields.
Accordingly, Rusli Associates established the conceptual framework of the building, and was the principal author of its forms and details -- the material expression of the client's aspirations -- to most effectively serve the building's purpose.

      * Q : Why all the discussions of the building in the general public press have been couched only in terms of open office interior furniture?

A : Perhaps to ensure that the building will remain, as the interior designer / architect-of-record put it, to be "a monument not to ego or architectural style but to a management strategy." (Marty Powell, in Trish Hall, "Place: And the Walls Came Tumbling Down," The New York Times Magazine, Dec. 13, 1998 p.82)

      * Q : When will the building be completed? (questions: 1996, 1997)
+ When was the building completed? (questions: 1998)

A : The building was scheduled to be completed in late July 1998.
+ The building was moved-in on August 17, 1998; a local "media opening" was held on September 17, 1998.

      * Q : What will be done to the old ALCOA Building? (questions: 1996, 1997)

A : The building was donated to the city, to be used by several regional economic development groups.

      * ps: Please e-mail us your comments, suggestions, and questions.

s e q u e n c e :

. . . excerpt at front-page
. . . site/ building organization -- text: linear volumes, extruded zones
. . . free floors/ outer infrastructure -- text: discontinuous urbanism
. . . curtainwall -- text: non-hierarchical skin; drawing-list
. . . aluminum boulder -- text: the serpentine block
. . . river view of building; curving filigree skin wall
. . . atrium, core-building
. . . floor plan, section
. . . building model
. . . in-progress construction photos

construction photos :
photo-index - 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9
- 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19
- 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29
- 30 - 31 - 32 - 33 - 34 - 35 - 36 - 37 - 38 - 39
- 40 - 41 - 42 - 43 - 44 - 45 - 46 - latest
alcoaHQ.lite/ quick-tour :
19 - 24 - 26 - 28 - 35 - 39 - 43

. . . overview or ALCOA contents-page

online address :

Rusli Associates
18 School Street, A r l i n g t o n
Massachusetts 02476 USA

e-mail: info@rusli.com

home: http://www.rusli.com

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*	Q :	What is the nature of the collaboration between The Design Alliance and Rusli Associates in the Alcoa project? (ref.: -- Gordon Wright, "Programmed for Productivity," Building Design & Construction Aug. 1999, cover, pp.32-35; -- Trish Hall, "Place: And the Walls Came Tumbling Down," The New York Times Magazine, Dec. 13, 1998 pp. 82-86; -- Patricia Davis, "Building Meant to Keep Them Talking," The Wall Street Journal, Nov. 4, 1998 p. B12; -- Donald Miller, "A Positive Reflection," "A Triumph Over Pretension," The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sep. 18, 1998 pp. A1, B1-5; -- Cheryl R. Towers, "Technology Samplers," Columns AIA Pittsburgh, Vol.12, No. 7, Sep. 1988, front-cover, p.8; -- Patricia Lowry, "A Headquarters with a View," The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Apr. 17, 1997 pp. A1-4, and others)
	A :	With a reputation for its corporate interior work in Pittsburgh, The Design Alliance Architects (TDA) was hired by Alcoa to do the interior renovation of the 31st. floor of the existing Alcoa Building, followed by the new building. Rusli Associates was the Architectural Design Consultant for the new building from the feasibility study to the end of Construction Documentation / Working Drawing phase. Agus Rusli was the design principal for the design of the building. TDA -- with its principal-in-charge Marty Powell -- managed and administered the project from the beginning to the end. (Known for his business, marketing skills, and as the prime contractor of the project, Mr. Powell often assumes the role of spokesperson and salesperson for the project.) TDA assisted Alcoa to find the site for the new building and prepared premilinary feasibility studies for it. With Alcoa and its consultants, TDA formulated the program and specified the requirements for the new building. Also in close collaboration with Alcoa, TDA was the interior designer / space planner of the interior furniture of the office. TDA was responsible for staffing, scheduling, and coordinating the Construction Documentation / Contract Administration phases of the work. Rusli Associates conceived, conceptualized, and executed practically all aspects and elements of the "design" of the "building" -- i.e. its "architecture": the volumetric arrangement, distribution of spaces, circulation system, mechanical services (service-core outside the office floor, office floor as a 90ft-wide "bar" building, etc.); the building's "smart" technologies, curtainwall, sunscreen; the atrium, atrium's skylight, interior bridges, escalators, elevators, and the core-structure that supports and houses them; mechanical towers, side-walk and entrance pavilions etc. etc., down to the grills and handrails, for others to engineer and build. As with most other designer of buildings, the role of Rusli Associates here was simply -- but precisely -- to give shape to the program, to supply form and technological knowledge to the client's needs and specifications, to transform its business requirements into space, glass, and steel; to introduce "concepts" to ensure that these needs and requirements are met, especially those (physical) concepts that are able to catalyze the meeting of these goals ... -- i.e. "to give (architectural) expression to (business) ideas," all with the assistance of many other expert consultants in their respective fields. Accordingly, Rusli Associates established the conceptual framework of the building, and was the principal author of its forms and details -- the material expression of the client's aspirations -- to most effectively serve the building's purpose.

*	Q :	Why all the discussions of the building in the general public press have been couched only in terms of open office interior furniture?
	A :	Perhaps to ensure that the building will remain, as the interior designer / architect-of-record put it, to be "a monument not to ego or architectural style but to a management strategy." (Marty Powell, in Trish Hall, "Place: And the Walls Came Tumbling Down," The New York Times Magazine, Dec. 13, 1998 p.82)

*	Q :	When will the building be completed? (questions: 1996, 1997) + When was the building completed? (questions: 1998)
	A :	The building was scheduled to be completed in late July 1998. + The building was moved-in on August 17, 1998; a local "media opening" was held on September 17, 1998.

*	Q :	What will be done to the old ALCOA Building? (questions: 1996, 1997)
	A :	The building was donated to the city, to be used by several regional economic development groups.

*	ps:	Please e-mail us your comments, suggestions, and questions.