The Easton Collection Center: A Sustainable Design Approach to Protecting Museum Collections

Abstract

Abstract The recently completed Easton Collection Center in Flagstaff, Arizona, is the latest addition to The Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA). The Museum of Northern Arizona is a private institution founded in 1928 with the mission to inspire a sense of love and responsibility for the beauty and diversity of the Colorado Plateau through collecting, studying, interpreting, and preserving the region's natural and cultural heritage. The new Easton Collection Center facility consists of just over 17,000 square feet of floor area. It was designed to house a significant portion of MNA's extensive and valuable cultural and natural science collections, providing appropriate indoor environmental conditions in a sustainable way and upon completion of construction was certified LEED Platinum by the United States Green Building Council. The Colorado Plateau is a geographical province covering 130,000 square miles roughly centered on the Four Corners. Much of it is wild and inaccessible ranging from 5,000 to over 12,...