The Barnes Foundation’s new building will be the first major art and education institution in the country to achieve the highest level of environmental certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The building was certified as Platinum under the USGBC’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system at a press event on September 27. The award was presented by USGBC President and CEO Rick Fedrizzi. 

“The USGBC Green Building Council is excited to award the Barnes its LEED Platinum certification because we believe that inspired, beautiful design can also perform to high environmental standards, and this building proves it,” said Fedrizzi. “From diverting 95 percent of construction waste from landfills as it redeveloped this brownfield site to a building with anticipated energy savings of 44 percent over a traditionally designed equivalent, it’s a marquee project not only for Philadelphia but the country.”

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter agrees. “The Barnes Foundation’s new building is a wonderful addition to Philadelphia’s iconic Parkway, not only for the benefits it brings to Philadelphia and the larger community, but for its attention to environmental design standards,” said Nutter. It’s a project that shows that Philadelphia is a city that cares deeply about the arts and sustainability.”

“I am thrilled to accept the LEED Platinum award on behalf of the Barnes and in recognition of the Barnes Board and staff’s commitment to build a beautiful, functional and sustainable home for the Barnes Collection in Philadelphia,” said Derek Gillman, Executive Director and President of the Barnes Foundation.

“Special thanks and deep gratitude goes to Tod Williams and Bilie Tsien and the whole design team who worked so diligently and creatively to achieve this goal. The most apparent example of this is the lighting of the art collection at the Barnes, which has been greatly improved. The immensely sophisticated filtering of natural light throughout the building and galleries is not only stunning, it also reduces electrical usage.”

Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects designed the new campus, collaborating with Landscape Architects OLIN on the 4.5 acre site design and plantings, Fisher Marantz Stone on the lighting design, and Associate Architects Ballinger on the project’s LEED effort.

In addition to site selection that focused on redevelopment and accessibility, other green project elements include significant energy use reduction, a vegetated roof, materials selection of rapidly renewable, local, and recycled content—including floors reclaimed from Coney Island’s boardwalk—and water efficiency measures both inside and outside the building. A design that will reduce potable water consumption by 44 percent, will work in concert with plants in the beautiful gardens surrounding the building which were chosen in part for their hardiness and drought-tolerance. 

Janet Milkman, Executive Director of the Delaware Valley Green Building Council, the USGBC’s local chapter, believes that buildings like the Barnes Foundation’s can make a difference in how people perceive an urban environment. 

“Visitors from around the world will get to experience a legendary art collection in a unique setting.  The architect’s use of natural light, careful materials selection and the quality of air are exactly the kinds of green building practices that we advocate for at DVGBC, and in this case they also greatly enhance the experience of the art.  The mission of our organization is to inspire, connect, and educate people around green building practices, and the Barnes Foundation’s building hits the mark on all three of those goals.”

In addition to the LEED award, the Barnes Foundation will receive a significant rebate from PECO as part of PECO Smart Construction Incentives a program that rewards commercial and industrial customers (including businesses, government institutions and non-profits) with rebates for the use of energy efficient building products.

The program encourages building designers, developers, engineers and architects to incorporate energy-efficient measures into their designs. The result is a building that surpasses building standards, uses less energy, saves money, and helps protect the environment.

10/1/2012