Critics have differed on the merits of the new home for the Barnes Foundation, the world-class art collection that was relocated from a Philadelphia suburb to a downtown museum quarter this year after a long-running court battle. But at least one arbiter has now given the museum an unqualified stamp of approval.
The United States Green Building Council has awarded the new building, designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, its highest rating under its LEED â€" Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design â€" system. The Barnes is the first major art institution in the country to achieve the designation, the council's “platinum†award.
“From diverting 95 percent of construction waste from landfills as it redeveloped this brownfield site to a building with anticipated energy savings of 44 percent over a traditionally designed equivalent, it's a marquee project not only for Philadelphia but the country,†the council's president and chief executive, Rick Fedrizzi, said.
Among other elements the museum, which opened in May, includes a vegetated roof, wood flooring reclaimed from Coney Island's boardwalk and a system designed to greatly reduce potable water consumption.
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