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Weekly UpdatesOn the outside, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Denver is a discreet, coolly elegant structure. Inside, however, visitors are welcomed by an explosion of innovative space dedicated to showcasing modern art in the most contemporary way through sustainable building design.
The 30,000-square-foot museum opened its doors in October 2007, and is the first Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified museum in the country. When the leaders began planning the museum's new permanent home, they created three overriding goals to guide them through the entire planning, design and construction process: designing a space that supports the museum's mission rather than defines it, creating a space within the museum's economic means, and making it an environmentally sensitive project.
"When we went into the discussion about considering a sustainable building, our goal was very loose: Just make it responsible," said Cydney Payton, executive director of MCA Denver. "It seemed like an achievable goal. We wanted to demonstrate to our community that sustainability was in alignment with beauty and economic responsibility."
As the museum staff delved deeper into sustainable design, the "loose goal" became much more concrete. This novel concept suddenly offered new and exciting opportunities for the museum to make its mark within the Denver community and beyond.
GREEN WORKS
MCA Denver's functional green design starts with its exterior. More than 50 percent of the building's exterior wall is a double-skin facade, consisting of an insulating tinted glass curtain wall and an interior sheet of Monopan--a translucent recycled building material. The cavity between the exterior facade and the Monopan is a plenum that reduces cooling loads and serves as a relief chamber for air exhausted from occupied space. The facade also filters daylight as it enters the building.
The green design features then extend beyond the exterior of the building. The mechanical system is, in fact, integrated with the facade to maximize climate control and minimize the use of traditional ventilation ducts. An evaporative cooling system humidifies the space, using no refrigerants. Rather, it utilizes 100 percent outdoor air in the cooling mode, with exhaust air drawn out of the building through the double-skin facade. This design allows solar heat built up within the cavity to be exhausted before entering the space. Additionally, a radiant flooring system provides heat, delivering it predominantly to the perimeter of the building. A dedicated outdoor air system allows fresh air delivery to be adapted based on occupancy requirements.
Other green highlights within the space include a lush roof garden; furniture, fixtures and equipment that utilize more than 20 percent recycled content; materials purchased primarily from local suppliers; and a rigorous recycling program. The museum also buys wind power and offers discounts to visitors who use public transportation for their visit.
The project took about four years to complete, with a. $16 million budget for the building. The capital campaign was about $19 million, and the museum is trying to raise an additional $3 million in endowment funds. While Payton acknowledges that there is a bit of a premium for building green, there is a payoff.
"It depends on how you look at it," she said. "It has a premium that, in the long run, pays for itself. To me, that is an economic investment. It pays for itself in terms of energy use, what you get back, how the building functions and for the environment of the actual building for the staff."
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As of press time, the museum was still assessing how long it will take for the sustainable design features to pay for themselves.
TIME TO SHINE
Bringing another layer of complexity into the project, the museum did not halt operations during the entire process. Instead, the museum continued to program and hold exhibits by moving to temporary locations, with staff members spread over three different buildings.
In addition to business as usual, the MCA Denver team was juggling construction timelines, the capital project and publicity for the new museum. In the end, the museum went dark for only about three months to transition into its new permanent space. But staff, the institution's leadership and artists all agree that the challenges were well worth it.
"The building meets my expectations; it is incredibly rewarding and fulfilling," said Payton. "Not only that, but it is an incredibly beautiful space to be in, so our visitor time is quite long."
Furthermore, the new museum has become a particularly coveted space to unveil new art.
"Artists are very excited that such a place exists in their own city," said Payton. "We are also getting visits from artists from all over the world who are curious about it. [The space] is very elegant, and every gallery is quite unique." While the building's gallery space and design have attracted artists and museum insiders worldwide, the sustainable systems and LEED-Gold designation give the building a ubiquitous appeal beyond the esoteric art world. The new museum has even sparked the interests of environmentalists and real estate professionals.
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"We are getting visitors from all over the world," said Payton. "It's not only the building, but also the leadership of the institution [that] is getting a lot of visibility for the novelty of how we approached the whole thing. People are curious about how we did it and what it looks like."
Attracting visitors interested in both the art and building itself shouldn't be a problem for the museum this year, with plenty of high-profile visitors traveling to Colorado. With the American Association of Museums (AAM) conference and the Building Owners and Managers (BOMA) annual conference held in Denver earlier this year, and the Democratic National Convention taking place in August, the MCA Denver will continue to garner attention and spark conversation about both its avant garde art and its cutting-edge sustainable design.
"It is a great time for us to be open to cultural assets," said Payton. "[Sustainable design] has grown so enormously in such a short period of time. When we started, there was no one to talk to. Now everyone is talking about it. I think it is the way of the future that all buildings will at least be at a basic level of questioning the materials [used] and their impact on the environment."
Diana Mirel is a freelance writer for JPM. Send questions regarding this article to mnaso@irem.org.
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