The Environmental Charter School is a middle school located in Pittsburgh’s uptown district.  This area is currently in a state of underdevelopment, soon to change due to city re-zoning and environmentally conscious development. Pittsburgh’s Environmental Charter School system is a private school where children are taught in a project-based learning environment with an emphasis on sustainability.  This area, with its new focus on sustainability provides plenty of access and a rich, urban environment for learning.

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The urban context is mimicked in the central atrium, creating a sort of "Internal Street" for internal circulation, where transition between spaces is celebrated and encouraged.

The design for this school focuses on high building performance as a teaching tool on sustainability. The building incorporates both passive and active design strategies, including solar shading, a dual-skin curtain wall on the south facade, and passive house grade thermal envelope.