One of the most significant developments in the Museum field recently has been the widespread embrace by new and existing museums towards sustainable and green design principals. Almost all of our new museum clients are electing to have their institutions become LEED certified museums. In fact, four of our current museum projects have been designed to achieve LEED certification. The firm's LEED Program Director and Associate, Michael McHugh, has undergone advanced training and research, and has, for many years, been certified as a LEED™ Accredited Professional. All of the firm's architects and planners have participated in a series of in-house training seminars, taught by Michael, to become LEED™ Accredited Professionals. Currently two-thirds of our architects, including two of our Principals, are LEED certified.
EVJA is committed to creating sustainable buildings that withstand the test of time aesthetically, operationally, and functionally. Our design process helps ensure that our buildings will continue to perform as well 50 years out as they do when they open. We understand that most museums and science centers would rather use operating funds for programming and that finding funds for building maintenance can be difficult. We help assure minimal long-term maintenance costs and longer-lasting buildings by specifying highly durable materials and by being very particular about how these materials are chosen and installed. This approach can cost more initially, but we have found it to be an effective way to “endow” a building’s long-term viability.
Current Museum Projects undergoing LEED Certification: Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Dinosaurs in Their Time Expansion
Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaDesign Architect for renovated and expanded building
Tampa Bay History Center
Tampa, FloridaArchitect for new building
Caguas Science Center
Caguas, Puerto RicoDesign Architect for new building
Green Square
Expansion to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Raleigh, North CarolinaMaster Planning & Conceptual Design for new building
LEED is the acronym for the “Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design,” which is a rating system administered by the U.S. Green Building Council. The LEED Green Building Rating System™ is a voluntary building rating system that evaluates environmental performance from a whole building perspective over a building’s life cycle, providing a definitive standard for what constitutes a “green building.” Earning a LEED rating (certified, silver, gold or platinum) guarantees an institution that the utmost effort has been taken to create a healthy, energy-efficient, eco-friendly, cost-effective environment to visit and to work in.
