A Wild sustainable museum

A native from DC, I would consider myself spoiled when it comes to museums. I grew up taking weekend trips to the mall and escorting extended family members around the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Most of my experience with museums has been in cities, bustling with pollution, people and noise. My visit to the Wild Center, located in the heart of the Adirondacks, was an entirely different endeavor. Upon opening its doors, I emerged in the beautiful central court filled with the sounds of birds and animal calls, and felt I had entered an Adirondack forest. Renovated in 2006, the Wild Center is the first New York museum to achieve benchmark green building certification. Its green building design and involvement in environmental projects have made it a leader in a movement to educate others about the importance of conservation and sustainability in the Adirondacks.

One of the most amazing things about the Wild Center is that the structure and buildings that contain it reflect the center’s teachings and values of environmental awareness and sustainability. In the initial stages of construction, the Wild Center partnered with the architectural firm HOK to address criteria for LEED certification or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The LEED system measures sustainability and low environmental impact in six categories: pollution prevention; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials and resources; indoor environmental quality; and innovation and design process. The Wild Center actually exceeds the basic LEED certification and earned a Silver distinction. Several cool features of the Wild center include: solar panels on the roof, compost toilets helping to reduce water consumption and a constructed wetland that surrounds the center, manages storm water runoff and water discharge from exhibits.

In addition to being the first LEED certified museum in New York, it is the first ever LEED certified project in Adirondack park. The Adirondack park is unique in many biological, geological and diverse ways, which are highlighted by the work and education of the Wild Center. But it is also one of the only places in the world where humans and nature coexist in a park. The Wild Center is setting the example for many to invest in a future of sustainable building and reduced impact on one of the most beautiful wilderness landscapes left.

sources:

https://wildcenter.org/thrive-together/building-for-blue-skies 

http://www.prweb.com/releases/HOK/Wild_Center/prweb688414.htm 

http://www.usgbc.org/sites/default/files/Why%20Certification%20Matters-FINAL.pdf 

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124449834655195657