Carnegie Robotics

Carnegie Robotics

We partnered with RIDC and Carnegie Robotics to transform a building in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood into a world-class robotics innovation and production facility.
We partnered with RIDC and Carnegie Robotics to transform a building in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood into a world-class robotics innovation and production facility.

Create a plan that works.

The former Heppenstall Steel Mill once located in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh once forged countless axels, shafts and propellers from 1889 until 1979. After 30 years of the site being defunct, the majority of the site was demolished however, one building remained - a 29,000 square foot high-bay building with heavy cranes. Carnegie Robotics wanted a space that could not be duplicated in new construction.

Giving form to vision

While minimal changes were made to the exterior of the building, converting an ex-factory building into a high-tech robotics facility brings unexpected conditions and hurdles, but from the start, the design team truly understood the problems they were trying to solve when transforming this building.

Working out the details

The design focused on adaptive re-use. Materials that highlighted the building’s past life, such as concrete and steel, were also used to reflect on this historic nature of the space.

Building your vision.

The design team added more windows for offices and fiberglass roof panels to allow light to filter into the building. A new “building within a building” was then constructed, containing three 8,000-square-foot levels. The result is a blend of old large-scale industrial space with highly functional tech space and a large degree of flexibility.

Maximizing your investment

Ultimately, the Carnegie Robotics needed space to design, build and test its products. The success of this project accomplishes that. Since moving into their new home, Carnegie Robotics has won clients, recruited new employees, and continues to do the great work they do.
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We partnered with RIDC and Carnegie Robotics to transform a building in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood into a world-class robotics innovation and production facility.