Forest Floor
Clayton Merrell, 2025
Silhouettes of leaves from twelve tree species that are native to Western Pennsylvania are scattered under twelve of the tree columns that support the roof of the terminal. They invite travelers to pause for a moment of discovery. The leaves in this floor create an echo and counterpoint to the “Sky Beneath Our Feet” within the airside floor, which was designed by Merrell in 2015.
Materials: Terrazzo, Water-Jet Cut Aluminum
Location: Departures Level, Pre-security Terminal
Type: Mosaic
Merrell’s aluminum leaves are embedded into the pre-security terminal floor, embedded underneath tree column that hold up the ceiling. Each leaf is representative of a different species of tree native to the Pittsburgh region, cementing a sense of place and reflecting our natural environment.
Photo courtesy of Clayton Merrell
About the Artist
Clayton Merrell grew up in Pittsburgh and Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela. He studied painting and printmaking at the Yale School of Art, where he earned an MFA. He is known for his paintings of the sky and surrounding landscape, often with unusual perspectives that include the entire circle of the horizon. He has exhibited widely at venues including the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the Westmoreland Museum of Art, and the Chautauqua Institution. He is the Dorothy L. Stubnitz Professor of Art at Carnegie Mellon University.
Photo courtesy of Clayton Merrell
