GRAM to be LEED Gold

The new building housing the Grand Rapids Art Museum won't be the first art museum to receive LEED certification—The Provincetown Art Assoc. and Museum in Massachusetts received a silver cert in 2006—but it will be by far the largest at fifteen times the size of Provincetown's 9,000 sq ft addition, and greener, with a gold cert, the second highest level in the US Green Building Council's ratings program.

Challenges to going green are unique for an art museum as temperatures and humidity must be kept constant. The $60M GRAM will be using louvered skylights, concrete's thermal properties, a naturally-cooled fresh air 'sink,' rainwater cache for the toilets, and FSC-certified wood. From a March NYT article:

When the building opens, Mr. Yantrasast said, visitors won't be overly aware of its environmental mission. "You don't want it to be a science museum," he said. "It has to be about the art." But Ms. Adams said the art and the museum's green aspects were connected. "Protecting the environment, and art, are both about quality of life," she said. Education programs in the new building will stress that relationship. Docents will discuss the green features, and a small exhibit, designed by Mr. Yantrasast, will focus on uses of natural light in art museums worldwide.

The new museum opens today, according to a friend from Grand Rapids. It's situated next to a public park designed by Maya Lin, architect of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in D.C. Grand Rapids is really coming along - I went to college outside of GR and lived in the city for a year (and volunteered at the GRAM in its old location) and marveled at the potential in all the empty but well-preserved buildings and walkable streets. It's great to see that potential really gain some momentum in all the development that's happening downtown. Helped by its medium size and strong history I believe Grand Rapids is quickly becoming the most livable and vibrant city in Michigan. The construction of forward-thinking buildings like the new GRAM is more proof of that.

Pix of the new building here. A video shot during its construction can be found on Developing GR, the first urban development vlog I've seen.