Gilbane | Mosites Celebrate Topping Off of Robotics Innovation Center

Gilbane Building Company and joint venture partner Mosites Construction Company gathered with Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to celebrate the topping off ceremony for the new Robotics Innovation Center at Hazelwood Green and the success of the project thus far.

The Richard King Mellon Foundation, dedicated to advancing prosperity in Southwestern Pennsylvania, announced a $150 million grant to CMU in 2021, the single largest grant since its inception in 1947. $45 million of this grant supports the construction of the RIC at Hazelwood Green, an area that was formerly a riverside steel mill.

The 150,000 SF RIC will feature flexible testing facilities, adaptable high bays and a large outdoor lab with a 6,000-square-foot drone cage. The nearby Manufacturing Futures Institute and the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing will further allow for testing of new ideas and prototypes, accelerating the pace of research. Together, these new facilities will provide robotics researchers at CMU with unique spaces for research, integration, collaboration and commercialization.

Engaging the local community has been a significant focus of this project, with project goals of 20% minority-, women-, and diverse-owned business enterprise participation and 5% workforce participation. The team held local contractor outreach and opportunities events to spur interest from local and diverse trades and provide an opportunity to network with the project team. Beyond trade engagement, the team is woven into the community through various volunteer efforts and community events like tours for students in the Industrial Arts Workshop, repairs to the Hazelwood Initiative Community Garden’s “Everybody’s Garden” location, and support of local restaurants. The team is hosting a “Touch a Truck” event for elementary school students in partnership with Street Plans and the August Wilson African American Cultural Center as part of the STEAM event in Fall 2024.

Construction of the RIC will be completed in 2025.