Renowned Art Museum Opens New Facility with Sophisticated Geothermal System Designed by International Engineering Firm

New York, NY, November 11, 2012 --(PR.com)-- The new Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, NY, set to open to the public on November 10th, 2012, features an unusual open-loop ground source heat pump designed by international multi-disciplinary engineering firm Buro Happold. The engineers designed this simple yet sophisticated system, which is used for many local residences, to make the galleries comfortable for visitors while preserving the art. The open-loop pump is one of the most efficient ground source heat pump configurations, and it will allow the museum to maintain optimal conditions for its collection. The design team is targeting LEED Silver certification.

When Parrish Art Museum outgrew its old facility, its director approached architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron to design a new 34,500-sq.-ft. building that is nearly double the size of Parrish’s old facility. Herzog & de Meuron in turn tapped Buro Happold to supply its MEP engineering expertise.

“We’ve designed quite a few geothermal systems for museums over the last few years,” said Denzil Gallagher, Principal, Buro Happold. “But this is the first open-loop system that we’ve done. It was the perfect solution for Parrish, which sits on a relatively flat 14-acre site – more than enough room for the system. This type of system has been commonly used for local residences, and we adapted it to accommodate Parrish’s needs.” Buro Happold has also designed geothermal systems for other museums such as the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.

Buro Happold customized the geothermal system to meet the needs of the facility and its surrounding site conditions. The engineers opted for an open-loop system with a series of shallow extraction and dispersion wells located around the site. The extraction wells provide water, which is circulated through the heat pumps before being discharged into diffusion wells 150 feet from the building. The heat that the pumps generate from the water is then used to control the temperature in the galleries.

In addition to the geothermal system, the engineers designed an under-floor ventilation system that allows for tight control of the temperature and humidity in the gallery spaces. Air is introduced into the spaces via floor grilles, regulating only the zones occupied by people and art and not the unused space close to the high ceilings. The engineers concealed these grilles so that they did not affect the ambiance of the galleries. The design of this system saves the museum energy and cost without any negative impact on the artwork.

About Buro Happold
Buro Happold is an independent international practice of consulting engineers. Since 1976 we have grown in size and reach to serve public and private clients across a full range of sectors through an international network of 29 offices; our five North American offices are based in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. We draw on the multi-disciplinary skills, knowledge and experience of our local experts to design and deliver award winning building, infrastructure and environmental projects that excel for clients, engage with communities and enrich the lives of users. Sustainability, innovation and holistic consulting are at the heart of everything we do and we are committed to touching the earth lightly. We think harder and are dedicated to addressing the big challenges that face the planet – climate change, population growth and scarcity of natural resources. Current and recent projects include the Grand Museum of Egypt (Cairo), the Louvre (Abu Dhabi), Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (Bentonville, AR), the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston), the Aviva Stadium (Dublin), the King Abdullah Financial District (Riyadh), the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (Stratford) and the High Line (New York).