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Rafael Viñoly Architects PC
Overview: The Brooklyn Children’s Museum, established 1899 in Brower Park, will have a bright and colorful new look in 2007, when a major addition doubles its space to 110,000 square feet. While the original building was meant to have minimal impact on the street, with much of the building below grade and concealed by planted earth berms, the new museum is designed to be visible and welcoming to the neighborhood. The addition, with its bright yellow porcelain facade, wraps around the current building, bringing animation and natural light into the center. Directed at urban children who may have limited access to nature, BCM will thematically incorporate environmental awareness as part of its core exhibits, extending its programs onto a rehabilitated roof deck, new courtyard and the adjacent public Brower Park. Children will be able to learn about this environmentally friendly building, as they participate in solar power experiments and hands-on geothermal exhibits.
Sustainable Features: The Museum will tap into geothermal wells for its heating and cooling needs. Water from a site aquifer that remains at a constant temperature throughout the year is used as a more efficient heat source and cooling medium to diminish the building’s energy requirements. Condenser water for the heat pumps, air-handling units and a reversible chiller will be provided by two 345 foot-deep supply wells, and the used condenser water will be discharged into two injection wells on the south of the site. This sustainable system will avoid the use of cooling towers, eliminating their on-site noise and emissions. Photovoltaic panels integrated into the building design will convert solar energy directly into electrical power. It is estimated that solar energy captured through PV panels on the museum’s roof and exterior walls will provide about 1.5% of the museum’s electricity. The integration of the photovoltaic panels will also be an educational highlight within the Museum’s program. Green materials are also featured – recycled materials, rapidly renewable material such as bamboo flooring, and materials that do not emit harmful chemicals.
Located in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York. Size: 110,000 gross square feet (55,000 sf new; 55,000 sf renovation) on Brower Park site. Construction cost of $39,000,000. Building completion Fall 2007 (Design commenced 2004).
Client Agencies: NYC Department of Cultural Affairs; NYC Department of Design & Construction.
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Community space provided
