Alcoa's new North Side headquarters symbolizes its new drive and chairman Paul O'Neill's vision. (Aluminum Company of America)

North Side - In eight years, chairman Paul O'Neill has tested the metal - and the mettle - of Alcoa, forging a new structure for the company in the process.

And some time in the next few years, Mr. O'Neill's vision will become as visible to the city as it has been to the aluminum maker's employees, with the construction of a new $20 million corporate headquarters along the Allegheny River here.

The move will punctuate the close of a difficult chapter in the company's history, an era of change that began with Mr. O'Neill's tenure. The company also hopes that the new structure will symbolize a new beginning.

A major piece of development at a time when urban office construction has reached a near standstill, the building is intended to be the crown jewel in Alcoa's efforts to redefine its mission and its image.

And although the new building may be built on the fortunes of aluminum, it won't be made out of it.

That won't be the only change. The new building will be much smaller than Alcoa's current Sith Avenue headquarters, according to executive vice president Ronald …