Pens Hire International Architecture Firm To Develop Housing At Old Civic Arena Site

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- When it comes to developing the residential portion of the 28-acre Civic Arena site, it's going to be BIG -- as in the Bjarke Ingalls Group.

"BIG is an internationally renowned architectural firm, and the reason we have such a renowned firm coming in is that we think it's a truly transformative process," said Dave Morehouse, president of the Pittsburgh Penguins which is developing the site.

The Bjarke Ingells Group has designed a number of well-known structures and was just engaged to design the fourth World Trade Center building in New York City.

"It's not just about developing. It's how we add on to what we add on to what we have which is really incredibly special, an architectural gem, worldwide," added Mayor Bill Peduto.

The chance to develop such a large tract of land between the lower Hill District and Downtown Pittsburgh is an architect's dream and challenge.

And local officials say the hiring of the Bjarke Ingells Group of Copenhagen, Denmark, brings international flair and recognition to a city on the move.

"It is a recognition that Pittsburgh is back on the global map," said Peduto.

"It's a recognition that in the past we have used national and international firms to build many of our iconic skyscrapers. And it's a recognition that quality design matters in the city."

BIG is led by 40-year old Bjarke Ingells, a bit of a rising star in the architectural world.

"We like our designs to respond to their surroundings," Ingells said in a video on the company's website. "We like them to inherit their attributes from their challenges and potentials of their environments."

"So essentially our buildings end up looking different purely because they perform differently," the architect added.

While some of their buildings may be unusual, Richard Baron of the site developer McCormack Baron Salazar insists, "They have an extraordinary design sense, and in another four or five years what you might describe as weird is going to become commonplace in Pittsburgh."

With design and approvals yet to come, breaking ground is more than a year away.

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