Richard King Mellon Foundation, Environmental Graphics

Project Narrative

For 75 years, the Richard King Mellon Foundation has fueled bold ideas that strengthen the communities of Pittsburgh. When it came time to recognize these accomplishments in their new space, the charge was clear: create an environment that tells the Foundation’s story through the lens of recognition. We did this by:
• Recognizing the past meant honoring the people and pivotal moments that shaped the Foundation’s legacy.
• Recognizing the present meant celebrating the commitment of today’s staff who advance the Foundations six philanthropic focus areas.
• Recognizing the future meant shining a light on the grantees whose vision continues to transform their communities.

The challenge:
Most of these leaders approached their work with humility, resisting overt or showy displays. The design solution embraced this spirit, weaving recognition into the space through subtle, layered gestures that reward discovery.

The solution:
At the entry, The Richard King Mellon Convening Center sign honors the founder with restraint—its tone-on-tone finish reveals itself only through the play of light and shadow and establishes the design convention for this and all board room naming’s. A timeline of key milestones, etched into glass, appears first as a delicate pattern of reeds of grass within the heavily planted lobby, then resolves into rich layers of history as visitors draw closer.

The foundation’s six philanthropic focus areas are represented in custom wallcoverings located in meeting areas throughout the office. From afar, they read as refined patterns; up close, playful illustrations reveal themselves, each scene depicting the Foundation’s impact across Pittsburgh. This design both delights and educates, rewarding those who pause to engage. They become a subtle background in meeting rooms to inspire conversations and ideas that will change the future of Pittsburgh.

The recognition of current staff takes a living form. Inspired by The Richard King Mellon Foundation rebrand; moss installations echo the geometry of the logo. Additionally, the pieces infuse biophilia into the space while celebrating the people whose energy drives the mission forward.

Perhaps the most powerful gesture is the grantee recognition wall. Tasked with honoring more than 2,500 organizations, the design team crafted a striking mosaic of 5,000 engraved wood tiles, each uniquely painted in Richard King Mellon Foundation's signature greens. The landscape formed by the tiles supports the acoustic requirements of the space. The piece is designed to accommodate future growth, with space for more than 15 years of additions, while incurring minimal cost to the client. Located in the Convening Room, where grantees gather for dialogue and inspiration, the wall transforms into a living testament to 75 years of philanthropy.

Through subtle details and layered storytelling, the environmental graphics embody the Foundation’s legacy of impact—past, present, and future.

                                           

Project Details -

Submission Category

Experiential Graphics- Small Scale (features or elements)

Date of Completion

April, 2024

Submitting Firm Name

GBBN

Project Team

Urban Planner

N/A

Landscape Architect

N/A

Architect

Amanda Markovic, GBBN

Interior Designer

Mandy Woltjer, GBBN

Environmental Designer

Phil Rowland, GBBN

Other Project Team Members

Katie Schaible, Monmade

Structural Engineer

Mike Wuerthele, TranSystems

MEP Engineer

Dan DiCriscio, Karpinski

Civil Engineer

N/A

Contractor

Jessica McKinney, PJ Dick