American Swedish Institute Honored As First LEED Gold Certified Museum In Minnesota

Environmental sustainability and history working well together!  The new Nelson 

From the ASI website www.asimn.org

Cultural Center is a lovely addition to the American Swedish Institute's museum and historic house in Minneapolis - made even lovelier by the recent successful completion of LEED-NC Gold certification. The press release says "ASI is proud to be the first museum in Minnesota to earn this designation as part of its ongoing effort to promote and practice the values of respect for all peoples and the environment that are exemplified in the Nordic countries."

 

Talk about green as mission support!

 

At last year's AAM conference a number of us were delighted to take a green tour, and then Elizabeth Wylie and I included the project in the new edition of The Green Museum: A Primer on Environmental Sustainability just published by Altamira Press. What I love about the building is that it clearly does not compete with the historic structure, is set apart to provide views to the structure, and its green design reflects the principles of the institution it was created to support. Plus the daylighting and green space are fantastic.

 

ASI reports "Architect Tim Carl of Minneapolis-based HGA led the design team for the Nelson Cultural Center.  Swedish designers, Åke Axelsson and Karin Ahlgren served as consultants to the project. Green elements including bio-roofs and a geothermal heating and cooling system ensure that ASI remains not only beautiful but sustainable Institute for generations of visitors to come."                   CONGRATULATIONS TEAM!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes from AAM Conference 2012 Minneapolis

Minneapolis and St. Paul have some awesome green museum action going on:

• I lay on my back on the Bakken Museum's green roof
• I toured the soon-to-open American Swedish Institute - an excellent blending of mission and technology plus an historic house! http://www.asimn.org/. Nina, Christy and Ingrid were fab
• I discovered the lighting designer at MIA as he was changing out all the third-floor Halos for LED's!
• I met the guy with all the data behind the MIA LED change, Charles Walbridge, and he hung out with us PIC Greenies during the conference. Check out his material!
• The ASI architects and designers joined PIC Greenies at Brit's Pub
• So did the Bell Museum of Natural History gang who shared their information on their traveling exhibit "Sustainable Shelter" - http://www.bellmuseum.org/
• I had lunch with the Minnesota Historical Society's sustainability officer plus a green team member. Shengyin Xu may be the first SO at an historical society. Am I right?
• And there wasn't even enough time to repeat earlier visits to James J. Hill House and the Mill City Museum, sigh, but both are doing good green stuff.

All in all, Minneapolis and St. Paul are class acts when it comes to green!