 The Leonardo is a unique museum. It focuses on science, technology and art. Their mission is to inspire their visitors to be creative and innovative. EnviroCitizen.org has discovered that the Leonardo will be revamping their exhibits to focus on cutting edge, current topics and provide interactive interfaces to experience science, technology and art. The building that will soon house The Leonardo, however, isn't as ready as the folks at The Leonardo are. Before the Olympics were held in Salt Lake City in 2002, the city built a new, state-of-the-art building for the Library. The old library building, sitting adjacent to the new building, was left empty. This is the building that will house The Leonardo.
The Leonardo is currently transforming the old building into a new, green museum. They're removing asbestos and outfitting the building with green features. The building will be finished with no-VOC (volatile organic compound) paints and the floor finishes will be free of formaldehyde. They are incorporating these sorts of features not only to attain certification from the United States Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, but also to send an overall message of sustainability to the public. The fluorescent lights that were used when the building hosted the library will be replaced with energy efficient lights and the overall number of bulbs will be reduced by about 50%! They will incorporate a comprehensive recycling plan throughout the building and the café is being modeled to use green products and to provide an eco-friendly dining experience. Their heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system will be upgraded so that the building is heated efficiently. They'll also use an innovative light sensor technology, which enables the light fixtures to shut off automatically when a room is empty. This technology also reduces the intensity of artificial lighting when the sun shines brightly.
All of these great, green changes will enhance the building to accommodate the Leonardo. They are seeking Silver LEED certification and plan to act as a model for sustainable, green building. The Leonardo is particularly neat because they are incorporating green education into their programs.
EnviroCitizen.org celebrates the fact that the Leonardo is becoming a very modern, progressive type of museum. They will offer modern digital media labs, hands-on invention workshops and high-tech events. Their goal is to offer their patrons a new way of seeing and experiencing the world and themselves. Their new building will reflect The Leonardo's mission, values and overall goals.
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