PITTSBURGH, June 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC) today celebrated the topping off of its new global headquarters, The Tower at PNC Plaza.

Officials, labor dignitaries, construction workers, PNC's employees and project partners gathered to sign the final steel beam before it was placed atop the building structure.  The 33-story, 800,000-square foot tower is located on the Southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and Wood Street and will house approximately 2,200 employees upon its opening in the fall of 2015.  The building will help accommodate PNC's growth and support further business development in Downtown Pittsburgh. 

"The tower's construction is a reflection of PNC's commitment to Pittsburgh and a testament to our tremendous growth over the past decade," said PNC Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Demchak.  "The new headquarters will serve as a statement about the importance that we place on sustainability and innovation and on providing the best-possible environment for our employees."

By utilizing ground-breaking technology, including a double-skin facade and a solar chimney, the tower is anticipated to ventilate naturally at least 42 percent of the year and consume 50 percent less energy than a typical office building.  The building's floor-to-ceiling windows and narrow floor plates will allow daylight to illuminate 90 percent of all open workspaces, and a water recycling system is expected to decrease the tower's annual water consumption by 77 percent.  PNC believes that the building will exceed Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED^®) Platinum certification and set the new standard for green building.

As part of its commitment to support the local community, PNC expects 2,500 people to be hired during construction of The Tower at PNC Plaza.  In addition to hiring locally, PNC's project team is procuring products and services from local businesses, including PPG Industries, Inc., Sippel Co., Inc. and Century Steel Erectors and has committed to spend at least 15 percent of the project's total construction budget with women- and minority-owned businesses.

In 2000, the 650,000-square-foot PNC Firstside Center opened as the first U.S. LEED-certified financial services building and the largest LEED-certified building in the country.  Since then, PNC has certified 225 projects to LEED standards, including more newly-constructed LEED-certified buildings than any other company.  The Tower at PNC Plaza topping off ceremony marks 15 years since the topping off of PNC Firstside Center, symbolizing PNC's ongoing commitment to create healthier workplaces and to help further revitalize Downtown Pittsburgh.

The project team includes PJ Dick, Inc., a Pittsburgh-based general contractor; Gensler, a global design firm; Buro Happold, a U.K.-based engineering firm; and Paladino & Company, a Seattle-based green building consultant, among others.

To view or download multimedia assets related to this announcement, visit http://pnc.mediaroom.com/thetoweratpncplaza. 

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (www.pnc.com) is one of the United States' largest diversified financial services organizations providing retail and business banking; residential mortgage banking; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. 

CONTACT:

Emily Krull 
(412) 762-5654 
(412) 897-7065 (cell) 
emily.krull@pnc.com

SOURCE The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.