The Housatonic River Museum

Pittsfield, MA

Client: River Museum, Inc.
Completion: 2012
Area: 13,000 sf

The Housatonic River Museum will be the first net-zero building in the Northeast and one of only seven nationally; it is designed to produce as much energy as it consumes and it is projected to achieve LEED Platinum. Dedicated to the Housatonic River’s history and ecology, the museum’s environmental mission is embodied by the building’s high-performance design and siting. Located in historic Wahonah Park, the structure responds to its low-rise urban residential context by continuing the bordering street wall and by framing a new axial approach to the adjacent wooden grandstand built in 1919. Situated within the 100 year floodplain of the neighboring Housatonic River, the museum is raised above the ground on piers. The building’s program—consisting of galleries, office, circulation, support and outdoor space—is integrated with energy saving and generating strategies to achieve net-zero status, including: daylighting, green roofs, a wind tower and cowl, as well as, photovoltaics, solar and geothermal. Water is likewise conserved using low-flow fixtures and is harvested using a system that collects, treats and stores rainwater for graywater reuse.