 |
| Low impact: Grand Rapids Art Museum received a Gold certification last month from the US Green Building Council’s Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Other museums around the US are poised to follow. Courtesy of Steve Hall/Hedrich Blessing |
Museums sprout 'green' architecture
A wave of energy-efficient architecture – and ecofriendly retrofits – is sweeping through public showcases.
from the April 9, 2008 edition
Page 2 of 2
Page 1 | 2
"You can drive a truck on it," and not hurt the grass, Mr. Piacentini says.
At the Tropical Forest Conservatory, which opened in 2006, visitors can get an eyeful of the solid-oxide fuel cell that uses natural gas to power the greenhouse.
The conservatory's energy bill dropped from $16,800 to $2,400 per year, but the Phipps isn't resting on that 75 percent drop.
This fall, the conservatory will break ground on a greenhouse that Piacentini and his team hope will become the first Living Building in the United States – one that is completely self-sustaining and relies exclusively on renewable energy.
Organic waste will power the fuel cell that supplies the building with electricity, and a combination of constructed wetlands and a "living machine" (with anaerobic bacteria) will treat the sewage for the entire complex.
"Museums have not tended to brag about what they're doing [in the environmental field], since there's an assumption you're cutting back," Brophy says. But she sees that changing.
Employees keep brainstorming
Indeed, at the Getty Center, which earned its Silver ranking in March, the LEED plaque is proudly displayed at the entrance. Joe May, manager of maintenance, planning, and support, says the Getty's staff continues to brainstorm ideas to improve energy-efficiency, from waterless urinals, which the city of Los Angeles has just approved and which could save the Getty 1.5 million gallons of treated water a year, to having an e-waste drop-off, where employees could bring old batteries, computers, and DVD players, to make certain they're being properly disposed of.
"[Green measures] are going to become as natural and automatic as full accessibility and inclusivity," Brophy says. "Within a year, the public is going to be asking all museums about their environmentally sustainable behavior. They're going to want to see evidence. That will push all museums. There's a pretty substantial learning curve, but the entire population is going to be going through it, and museums will be part of that group."
How one museum worked conservation into its design
The developers of Michigan's Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) planned to conserve energy while also providing a climate-controlled venue for the works it houses. Among the new building's features:
•The roof, painted white to reflect heat, collects rainwater and snowmelt and sends it down drains to collect in giant cisterns in the basement, where it is used for everything from washing dishes in the cafe to watering the lawn to replenishing the reflecting pool.
• The ultrasmooth, sandy-colored architectural concrete was made from local materials, and local and organic food is used as much as possible in the cafe.
• Museums need strict temperature and humidity controls to protect their holdings. The GRAM solved this by funneling outside air underground, where the temperature is a consistent 55 degrees F. Humidity and heat can be added before the air is pumped into the museum.
• Developers leveraged local weather: Because Grand Rapids has so many overcast days, museum director Celeste Adams explains, the museum was able to rely on natural lighting without worrying that intense sun would harm the works of art. (Filtered glass, louvers, and layering are also employed.)
1 | Page 2
RSS feed