Pittsburgh’s first fully-integrated green infrastructure experience   

Bakery Living is one of the largest green infrastructure projects in the City of Pittsburgh. The roadway includes porous paving and planted bioretention areas. Both are helping to protect the region’s water resources by reducing pollution, stormwater runoff and downstream flooding. The bioretention planters are designed to accept storm water from the roadways, the sidewalks and the roofs of the surrounding buildings. They allow water to infiltrate into the groundwater, like in a natural system. In addition to being green infrastructure, the planter strips also provide a lush visual and environmental amenity, providing shade to reduce urban heat island effect and slowing and screening traffic.

The two adjacent apartment buildings also include green infrastructure design elements. The roofs are covered with light colored, reflective materials to reduce the urban heat pollution. The active green space in the courtyard is actually a green roof that helps to reduce stormwater runoff.