Green Matrix: Home

This is a pretty neat little tool with a very easy interface, that could be easily adapted as a quick guide and reference for a Museum exhibit checklist. Roll over and click
Green Matrix: Home

Some new reading recommendations

Here's a couple of new links to some documents kindly recommended by Margaret Birtley at Collections Council.

Museums and Sustainability: Guidelines for for policy and practice in museums and galleries.
Museums Australia. 2003
and this one
Towards Sustainability Indicators for Museums in Australia
Eleanor Adams. Collections Council. 2010

the_designers_field_guide_to_sustainability_v1.pdf (application/pdf Object)

the_designers_field_guide_to_sustainability_v1.pdf (application/pdf Object)

NYC Sustainable Design - Department of Design and Construction

A range of guidelines in .pdf format from NYC Department of Design and Construction
Sustainable Design - Department of Design and Construction

Allan Chochinov's 10 Steps for Sustainable Design : TreeHugger

10 simple but important ideas to easily put into practice now.
Allan Chochinov's 10 Steps for Sustainable Design : TreeHugger

Green Benchmarks | Event Design Magazine

A self initiated checklist, standards and rating system developed by Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) to allow the design team to track and score the greening of their exhibits. This is a great initiative! It would be good to incorporate consideration for various multimedia, technology, lighting etc etc too.. Broaden the focus to consider ongoing "running" energy consumption... (tricky)
from Event Design Mag:
Green Benchmarks
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
When Oregon Museum of Science and Industry creative director Jessica Willcox was working on an exhibit built exclusively with sustainable materials a few years back, she realized her team had no means to compare future projects to the green standards they were achieving.
Now, the OMSI has created a set of green criteria for exhibit design based on the architecture world’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program—but streamlined for ease-of-use.
The checklist consists of eight categories, and exhibit projects receive a score between one and four based on how well they have addressed the issues. A project that receives six to 10 points is deemed Green Certified; 11 to 18 is Silver; 19 to 26 is Gold; 27 to 32 is Platinum.

“It’s pretty simplistic by design, because we have a lot on our plates. We have our design manager, production manager, lead designer, and lead production representative walk through the exhibit and score it. It takes us 25 minutes and we’re done—it’s designed to be fast and efficient,” Willcox says.

The eight categories
Renewable Resources.
Resource Reuse.
Recycled Content.
End-Life Assessment.
Low-Emitting Materials.
Certified Wood.
Conservation.
Regional Materials.

Full article here:
Green Benchmarks | Event Design Magazine

A checklist for sustainability

A checklist for sustainability
The Sustainable wheel
Just had a quick flick through and these two look interesting. Not exhibition focussed but general approach and summary.... + lots of pictures!

Design Victoria - Quick Guide

Wow the colour green is no where to be seen!!!
A quick reference guide worth sticking on the studio wall.
Produced by Design Vic, Vic Gov + RMIT
Features sections for Industrial/Product, Graphic/Multimedia & Fashion /Textiles... Unfortunately no Exhibition.
From the site:
Developed by the Centre for Design at RMIT University, WSP Environmental and leading industry experts, What is Eco-design? provides designers with comprehensive, practical information and quick reference guides whenever you need it.
Design Victoria - Quick Guide

Design Checklist

I've posted this link before but I thought I'd hi-light this checklist again as its a nice and simple starting point:
From the www.greenexhibits.org site:
Green Design Checklist:

The guidelines below offer concrete ways to work toward sustainability.

This checklist was significantly altered and adapted from a checklist originally published in Environmental Building News, September-October 1992, entitled "Checklist for Environmentally Responsible Design & Construction." The original was developed for new building construction and included siting, landscaping, etc.

Design

		Rethink the menu, not just the recipe.
			Do we really need to use toxic fiberglass and synthetic carpeting in the children's museum industry? What if we served something else? What about materials that are sustainable and quickly replenished?
		Smaller is better.
			Does it have to be enormous to be fun? Optimize use of space through careful design. Don't overbuild to keep cost and material waste to a minimum.
		Optimize materials use.
			Simplify design to accommodate standard building material dimensions. Avoid over designing.
		Design for future reuse.
			Can it be adapted into something else? Can it be deliberately designed in the first place with a future reuse in mind? Choose components and materials that can be reused or recycled.
		Design to do more good, not simply "less bad."
			Create lists of materials to avoid, materials to use in moderation, and materials to use more plentifully. Strive to use the list of "best products" as much as possible. Try to eliminate the harmful materials altogether.
		Design to support creativity, innovation, fun, and reinvention.
			Does it support invention, ingenuity, and serendipity? Is it whimsical, and does it lend itself to reinvention?
		Design for deconstruction.
			Can it be dismantled quickly and easily? Can it be separated into pieces or parts that are reusable?

Build

		Stop using known culprits.
			Use products and materials that have no known dangerous toxins or chemicals. Find an alternative solution that is safe for children.
		Use durable products and materials.
			Use products and materials that are "timeless" and known to last, or materials that can be easily refinished. Stay away from products that are not durable, that are difficult to refinish, or that quickly end up in a landfill.
		Choose materials with low embodied energy
			Use products that have not been heavily processed or manufactured, as these tend to require more energy. One estimate of the relative energy intensity of various materials (by weight) is as follows: Lumber=1, Brick=2, Cement=2, Glass=3, Fiberglass=7, Steel=8, Plastic=30, Aluminum=80. (Source, Building and Environment, Vol 27, No 1)
		Buy locally produced building materials.
			Look for regionally based, local materials. Cut down on transportation costs while supporting the local economy.
		Use sustainable materials that are quickly replenished.
			Try using natural materials that are grown quickly, like bamboo or hemp. Use materials that are grown sustainably, like organic cotton or certified hardwoods.
		Use building materials made from recycled materials.
			Using products made from recycled materials helps cut down on solid waste problems. Look for percentage of recycled content on building materials.
		Use salvaged building materials when possible.
			Use salvaged lumber, bricks, components-all kinds of materials, rather than buying new. This helps cut down on landfill space, conserves resources, and often adds aesthetic appeal.
		Minimize use of pressure-treated lumber.
			Seek to discontinue use of pressure treated lumber. Look for alternative decking or plastic lumber, or find alternative ways to deal with moisture problems with soil and rot.
		Minimize packaging waste.
			Purchase materials from suppliers that don't over-package to avoid unnecessary waste.
		Purchase materials in bulk.
			Buy in bulk whenever possible to avoid extra transportation, packaging, and labor costs.
		Minimize job site waste.
			Organize shop space to accommodate extra space for sorting and reuse. Put a regular recycling program into place for metal, papers, batteries, computers, etc. Donate unused building materials to organizations like Habitat for Humanity Restore.

Operate

		Use nontoxic cleaning products that contribute to a healthy environment.
			Select cleaning supplies that are safe to eat. If they say "caution" anywhere on the label, or something even worse, DON'T USE THEM.

Design Checklist