U.S. Steel Tower

Another view of the U.S. Steel Tower with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center sign.

Although accepted for bridges, etc., exposing structural Cor-Ten in a building was not possible using standard construction methods because steel needed to be protected by concrete or an applied insulation to meet the fire-protection requirements of building codes. Fire protection was achieved for the 18 columns of this tower by making them hollow and filled with a water/antifreeze/rust inhibitor mixture, a technique patented in the 19th century.[20] In another building cited in 1970, the horizontal beams were also hollow and interconnected with the columns, the entire system tested to be leakproof.[20]

In 2019, Winthrop Management, with the help of sustainability consulting firm evolveEA, achieved LEED Silver Certification for the US Steel Tower under the Existing Buildings: Operations + Maintenance rating system.[21] The building is one of the largest LEED for O+M: Existing Buildings V4 office buildings in the world. Multiple LEED Certifications have been earned for the interior office spaces inside the tower as well.

The U.S. Steel Tower features several redundant systems that have allowed the building to remain free of unplanned service interruptions since it was constructed. It is fed by two redundant water mains, one from Grant Street and one from 7th Avenue. Both are fully maintained and tested annually. There is a fail over system in place, and either main will automatically meet the water demands of the building in the event of a failure. In addition, the building has four redundant water pumps, any one of which can meet the needs of the entire building. The building also has four redundant electrical feeds, which come from several substations. Finally, the building has fully redundant heating and cooling systems, including two boilers and two water cooled chillers. The heating boilers can burn either natural gas or No. 2 fuel oil. There is no fail over, but manual adjustment of the system in the event of a supply shortage takes only minutes.

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center initially leased five floors of the tower, which now serves as the institution's headquarters, in 2007.[22] Although U.S. Steel was the largest tenant in the building at the time, to go along with this lease, the company also purchased new signs reading "UPMC" for the top of each three sides of the building. The Pittsburgh Planning Commission approved the 20-foot (6.1 m) signs.[23] The signage cost $750,000, according to a document submitted in 2006 to the city planning commission.[24]

Much deliberation surrounded the controversial issue of the sign in planning commission meetings.[24] "U", "P", and a "C" were installed via helicopter on May 3–4, 2008, but weather conditions postponed completion, and the "M" was not installed until some time later.[25] The sign was completed June 7–8, 2008.[26] Illumination was provided several weeks after installation.[24] Energy efficient LED lights replaced the neon bulbs used in the original sign in 2019.[27]

Next to the entrance of the building, there is a plaza and a fountain alongside a brewery named Brew Gentlemen. The area is known as "Steel Garden" [28] There is also a bus stop right outside the plaza that serves the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway.

The nativity scene displayed in the courtyard during the holiday season

Each year a nativity scene, goes on display in the building's courtyard. It is larger than the original nativity, and is the only authorized replica of the Vatican's Christmas crèche in St. Peter's Square.[29]

Unlike many buildings of similar heights, the U.S. Steel Tower does not taper in width from its lower floors to its higher floors. Accordingly, the tower sports the "largest roof in the world at its height or above", at a size of approximately one acre. This flat expanse was once used as a heliport, but it has sat dormant since 1992.[30]

From shortly after the Tower's opening until 2001, the 62nd floor was home to Top of the Triangle, a fine dining restaurant that provided unequaled views of Pittsburgh and the surrounding region. Unable to negotiate new leasing terms, the restaurant closed after 30 years in business and was replaced with more office spaces.[31]

An organization known as the High Point Park Investigation[32] was formed to explore the possibility of converting the dormant roof of the U.S. Steel Tower into an attraction of some sort—a "pinnacle of perspective where people go to see the view, a signature landmark like the Eiffel Tower or the Empire State Building".[30] This transformation could take the form of a nature park, a gallery space, or some other type of attraction. The High Point Park Investigation is based at Carnegie Mellon University's STUDIO for Creative Inquiry and has received the endorsement of regional organizations including the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and VisitPittsburgh.com.[30] A 360-degree, gigapixel panorama of the view available from the building's rooftop can be seen at www.gigapan.org or www.gigapanorama.org. As of January 2010, the building's owner had expressed no interest in developing the roof of the tower, but public interest in the potential of such a project has been high.[30]

In March 2013 a group of architects and designers finished detailed plans for a glass covered 2 floor atrium at the top of the skyscraper, however the building management has not responded thus far to requests for potential construction.[33]