News

Renovation work continues at The Cleveland Institute of Art’s Joseph McCullough Center for the Visual Arts where crews are working on updates that will improve energy efficiency, allow us to better utilize existing space, and improve the building’s aesthetics. I am happy to report progress in three areas, all of which will help us gain LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED, for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a voluntary, national rating system for buildings designed, constructed and operated for improved environmental and human health performance.

New Windows
We are in the process of replacing the drafty windows on the east (Food Co-op) side of the building with energy-efficient, double-pane, insulated windows that look beautiful and will help the Institute save money on the costs of both heating and cooling the building. As of this writing, we have replaced about a third of the windows on the east elevation. Windows on the building’s north (Euclid Avenue side) and south (back parking lot side) will be replaced next summer. The windows on the west side of the building will be replaced in conjunction with the construction of our new building immediately west of and fully interconnected with the McCullough building. Construction of that building will begin in 2011.

Chillers
Super-high-efficiency chillers have been installed and connected to provide chilled water for the new central air conditioning system in the McCullough building. This represents a tremendous advance in the comfort and usability of the building and should be good news to anyone who has been in the McCullough building in the warmer months!

Glass Wall
Our new chillers won’t be much use if the heat from our glass furnaces is constantly warming the 4th floor. To prevent this, and make efficient cooling possible, we have installed an insulated glass wall that soars more than 20 feet high to the top of the 4th floor ceiling, to separate the glass hot shop from the adjacent space, which will ultimately house studio and instructional areas for the Glass and Ceramics departments. This wall represents a beautiful solution to an energy efficiency problem in that it contains the glass furnace heat within the hot shop, allowing us to efficiently cool the rest of the 4th floor, while allowing the sunlight to continue to shine through both sides of the divide.

—Courtesy of David Deming, President of The Cleveland Institute of Art

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