The new Tropical Forest room at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens contains lots of green plants from Thailand. It also features cutting edge green building design.

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In this presentation Phipps director Richard Piacentini explains the room's design, which includes single-pane glass on the south wall to let heat in during the winter and a louvered double-paned glass ceiling to let heat out during the summer.

The design by IKM of Pittsburgh also features air tubes for natural cooling and a waste disposal system that may also be used to generate electricity.

The interview was conducted during the final phase of construction. The Tropical Forest room opens to the public this weekend.

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