Museums Going Green
If museums are all about preserving culture and history, then it would certainly make sense that museums should also be about preserving the earth. Well, that’s exactly what’s happening in many cities throughout the United States.
In Grand Rapids Michigan, the new Grand Rapids Art Museum received
a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in Washington. The movement toward green museums actually began about six years ago with the initial aquariums, zoos and children’s museums going green. As green construction costs decrease, there are more green museums, zoos and aquariums in the works. One Los Angeles based architect who is familiar with green architecture told us that gold and platinum LEED buildings still cost more than conventional architecture. However, the thought is that you will make it up in energy savings over a 2-5 year period.
