Museum of Visual Materials

MUSEUM of VISUAL MATERIALS Sioux F al l s , So u th D a k o t a

AIASD Merit Award 2007

1898

1910’s

1970’s Built in 1887 for the original owner, Consolidated Tank Line Co., this building served as the midwest headquarters for Standard Oil Co. from 1896 until 1945. Midland Distributing Company’s Seagram products were distributed from the building for the next 40 years. The building sat empty for approximately 20 years.

MUSEUM of VISUAL MATERIALS

East Facade

South Facade

West Facade

North & West Facades

A

The client’s original concept for her museum was an octagon shaped newly-constructed building on an unimproved site.

With a little encouragement, the Owner sought out an abandoned building in the Sioux Falls Historic Warehouse District.

Here the evolution of the Museum of Visual Materials began.

The project is designed around three main goals: 1.) Create an interactive venue for the owner’s eclectic collections, 2.) Preserve the building and its character, and 3.) Incorporate environmental stewardship to achieve low operating costs and to educate others about sustainable concepts

MUSEUM of VISUAL MATERIALS

LEED Results LEED-NC version 2.1 Sites (SS)

10

14

Water (WE)

3

5

Energy (EA)

12

17

Materials (MR) Indoors (EQ) Innovation (ID)

8

13

10

15

4

5

points achieved

possible points

B

The Owner, a retired physician, had focused a lifetime on health. Incorporating sustainable sensibility and stewardship was a natural progression and became a guiding priority to lower ongoing operating costs and further educate others about health. The project is registered with the USGBC and is expected to be Gold Certified with 47 credits.

Locally quarried quartzite was used extensively in the landscape and for interior accents such as thresholds. Low-emitting materials, operable windows for the office, high daylighting levels, and good views to the exterior were all incorporated.

MUSEUM of VISUAL MATERIALS

Purple Prairie Clover

Black-Eyed Susan

C

All parking is off-site leaving room for native grasses and flowers. Rainwater from the roof is collected and diverted into a lined planter with an outlet at the lower end allowing water to percolate, then trickle through the landscape on a serpentine path of quartzite pavers to a small retention area. The path also serves for strolling and learning about native plants through a self-guided tour. Quartzite retaining walls provide seating space in the plaza courtyard.

MUSEUM of VISUAL MATERIALS

2006 Conditions

E

D

Interior spaces were gutted leaving the original quartzite rubble walls and wood structure. Paint was sandblasted from interior and exterior surfaces and windows opened for much needed natural light. 35 freight pallets leftover from the building’s Seagram distributor days were reused in various ways including: a raised and removable floor in the utility room, bases for the original rough columns in the atrium, a backdrop to the kitchen and as a trash enclosure off the alley.

Many earlier alterations are retained as part of the building’s history and story of past uses. Wherever possible, the visual impact of new elements are minimized through color, form and material.

MUSEUM of VISUAL MATERIALS

During Construction

2006 Conditions

F

The program included flexible display spaces, activity areas (cooking, sewing, crafts, music listening), welcome and reception area, storage and support spaces, and outside areas for relaxing on nice days with a book.

Columns and webs milled from re-used timbers were added to stabilize existing trusses in the main display area, along with custom gussets and bolts.

MUSEUM of VISUAL MATERIALS

G

Simple display units were designed for flexibility (including castors) and to allow easy clearing of the large room for events.

Spaces were kept open to maximize daylight for reading and viewing the collections.

MUSEUM of VISUAL MATERIALS

2006 Conditions

J

H

Materials closer to their natural state are utilized to fit with the warehouse and environmental aesthetics. Wood trim was downgraded from ‘Select’ to ‘Character Birch’ from Minnesota forests and left its natural color. Unstained bamboo and cork are used in the display areas.

MUSEUM of VISUAL MATERIALS

PV Inverter Panels

Degree Days Normals (1971-2000)

L 1500 1200 900 600 300 0 300

j f m a m j j a s o n d

K

SD Heating / Cooling Degree Days

Energy efficient lighting with motion sensors and high efficiency window/skylight glazing keep heat gain to a minimum, while an 8 kilowatt photovoltaic array on the roof captures the sun’s energy for use. Energy modeling showed energy savings would be 49% over the ASHRAE standard and granted the project all 10 energy credits with an additional 2 out of 3 possible for renewable energy. Preliminary utility bills indicate an even greater savings per month.

Low-flow plumbing fixtures save about 30,000 gallons of drinking water yearly, or about 30% more than standard EPA efficiency. A hybrid open-loop geothermal system uses steady temperatures from the Sioux Aquifer for efficient heating and cooling.

MUSEUM of VISUAL MATERIALS

MUSEUM STONE WALKWAY SIDEWALK WATER FEATURE

A

VEGETATION B TREE FENCE

C

M

L

M

Two new Directors were hired and oriented to the building’s sustainable features. Neither had had experience with sustainable concepts in design/construction, but both Directors have quickly grown to appreciate the building’s green features.

MUSEUM of VISUAL MATERIALS

The Directors have designed the museum’s brochure and website to prominently display ‘green’ as one of the building’s signatures, and helped create the building’s Green Cleaning and Education Programs.

WOMEN

OFFICE 130 SF

VESTIBULE 85 SF

One of the Directors was quoted in saying, “Working at the Museum of Visual Materials has helped me become more aware of what I can do to make a difference, and create my home into a more eco-friendly environment.”

MUSIC LISTENING 126 SF

K D

ATRIUM 730 SF

KITCHEN 240 SF

O E

MEN

SITTING AREA 126 SF

HALL OF THE AMERICAS DISPLAY 2,950 SF

G

SEWING 182 SF

CRAFT 182 SF

O F

N H

N

FLOOR PLAN 8,200sf (gross)

SITTING ROOM

SHOWER / CHANGING ROOM

HALL OF CONTINENTS DISPLAY 1,050 SF

J

A

MUSEUM of VISUAL MATERIALS

B

ELEVATOR EQUIPMENT

STORAGE

WORK ROOM

MECHANICAL/ UTILITY

MECHANICAL/ UTILITY

BASEMENT FLOOR PLAN 4,000 sf (gross)

MECHANICAL/ UTILITY

A

MUSEUM of VISUAL MATERIALS

B

NORTH ELEVATION

WEST ELEVATION

SOUTH ELEVATION

EAST ELEVATION

MUSEUM of VISUAL MATERIALS

BUILDING SECTION A

BUILDING SECTION B

MUSEUM of VISUAL MATERIALS