GRAM expects gold LEED rating

This October, the new Grand Rapids Art Museum will open to as the world's first 'green' art museum. Challenged by special requirements because of the need to preserve the art as well as display it, the architect found innovative means to circumvent obstacles and still meet stringent LEED standards.

According to excerpts from the story:

PETER M. WEGE, a leading philanthropist in western Michigan, is not an art collector.

But he is an environmentalist. So when the Grand Rapids Art Museum, which was housed in part of an old federal building, decided to relocate, Mr. Wege pledged $20 million to the project, stipulating that the new building be “green.”

In fact, when the museum opens in October, it is expected to receive a gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.

While there are more than 700 LEED-rated buildings in the country, adding an art museum to the list is especially difficult.

Read the complete story here.