Museum of Northern Arizona exterior

CELEBRATING THE INNOVATION AND VISION OF MNA’S NEW EASTON COLLECTION CENTER

June 12, 2009

Caring for our collective past grounds us in the present and guides us towards the future. This core idea is the foundation of the Museum of Northern Arizona’s yearlong $5 million Easton Collection Center construction project. At a public dedication ceremony on Sunday, June 21, the innovation and vision of MNA’s new 17,283 square foot building will be celebrated.

Named after donors Elizabeth (Betsy) and Harry Easton of Sedona and Flagstaff, this future home of MNA’s unparalleled and fragile anthropological, biological, and fine art collections from the surrounding Colorado Plateau will lead the way in the care and preservation of museum collections nationwide. Its design elements honor and blend natural and man-made materials and environments, and embrace the worldviews of the region’s Native people.

“There is a pressing need for this building,” says Museum Director Robert Breunig. “Conservators and consultants have been advising MNA for nearly 20 years that we needed to improve our level of care. With this new facility, MNA will finally be able to fulfill its stewardship responsibilities to take the best care possible of Museum, Federal, and tribal collections. It represents the highest aspirations of the Museum.”

Breunig continues, “The three principles that have guided construction of this new building a commitment to the highest standards of museum collections care (including temperature and humidity, light levels, fire suppression, security systems, and infestation controls), building as green and sustainable as possible (with local building materials and reuse of old materials whenever possible), and embracing Native sensibilities in ways that increase Native access to MNA’s collections and illustrate the respect MNA has for the people and cultures of the Colorado Plateau.”

It was also important to MNA to include regional Indian tribes in the design process, so they feel comfortable in the building. Representatives of the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, the Zuni Tribe, and the White Mountain Apache Tribe—all significantly represented in the Museum’s collections—formed a Native American Advisory Committee and participated in planning discussions.

“In answer to the committee’s requests,” says Breunig, “The building has an East facing entrance to greet the sun every morning; a circular shape to invoke the cycles of life; and connections to the natural world with its living roof, appropriate use of day-lighting, local materials whenever possible, and views of the sacred San Francisco Peaks from both inside the building and out.”

Total construction cost for the Easton Collection Center is estimated at $7 million, including building construction, architectural and engineering fees, living roof design and construction, and cabinetry. Funding for steel collections storage cabinetry, equipment, and move coordination has come from four major grants totaling $1,047,235: a 2009 Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant of $114,924 for botany and entomology cabinetry, a 2008 IMLS grant of $107,311 for textile and basket cabinetry, a 2007 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant of $575,000 for a compactor track system, anthropology cabinetry, and move coordination, and a 2006 Save America’s Treasures grant of $250,000 for archaeology cabinetry.

The Collection Center sits at the base of the San Francisco Peaks and is built across Highway 180 from the Museum’s Exhibit Building, in the heart of the Museum’s historic Harold S. Colton Research Center. MNA and its architects brought a comprehensive philosophy of environmental sustainability to the design of the building, with maximum energy efficiency and minimum use of fossil fuels. It has a living roof of native grasses and wildflowers to create greater insulation, deter runoff and reduce erosion, and create additional habitat for birds and insects. The use of efficient water fixtures, rainwater runoff harvesting, and native plants saves water.

Its green building features embody MNA’s commitment to environmental sustainability and make it eligible to be registered through the US Green Building Council’s prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design® (LEED) certification program. Buildings are rated Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum based on a number of rating categories such as site selection, water and energy conservation, use and recycling of materials, indoor air quality, education, design innovation, and landscaping. Although the US Green Building Council determines the final rating only after buildings are actually completed, MNA anticipates that the Easton Collection Center will receive the highest LEED rating of Platinum.

The building’s orientation, thermal mass, highly insulated roof, UV filtered skylights, insulated windows, photovoltaic solar panels, and energy saving fixtures reduce the production of greenhouse gases. The building uses materials recycled from old buildings that were replaced. And where possible, the design team selected regionally manufactured materials to reduce transportation costs. In parts of the building, the cellulose wall insulation is made from recycled newspapers, and paints and other materials are low in volatile organic compounds to improve indoor air quality.

Dedication Ceremony Details
The public celebration for the Easton Collection Center is on Sunday, June 21, the summer solstice, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A Collection Center open house will be followed by a dedication ceremony at noon, refreshments, and a silent auction with works donated by regionally renowned artists. Tickets are free to members and children under 12; nonmember tickets are $20. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 928/774-5213, ext. 225 or online at www.musnaz.org/events/eastondedicate.html.

Observations from Colorado Plateau Tribes
Leigh Kuwanwisiwma, Director of the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office
“My general observation is that the facility shows the Museum’s commitment to the care that a lot of collections require. And, it shows commitment to the Museum’s mission, for now and into posterity.”

Michael Kabotie, a member of the Hopi people
“Our ancestral Native relatives have traveled, explored, and experimented with life among the Colorado Plateau mountains and canyons for centuries, leaving a legacy through the arts, of their migrations at sacred settlements. A history that is still alive in our legends, rituals, and ceremonies, now the new Easton Collection Center on the campus of the Museum of Northern Arizona will house this ancient knowledge for generations to come and assist to understand the meaning of life, to realize that we are all citizens of this world, and to learn to appreciate each other through these sacred objects being housed at this center.”

Tony Joe, Supervisory Anthropologist for the Navajo Nation Historic Preservation Dept.
“It is of vital importance sacred objects and objects of cultural patrimony of all indigenous tribes throughout the Colorado Plateau be housed and protected from all natural elements as agreed by all participating tribes. And no better place to house these important objects than the Easton Collection Center, within the confines of the Museum of Northern Arizona. The new collections building evolved into a masterpiece that stands out with its architecture and beauty.”

The Creative Team
Jim Roberts, Principal Architect from Roberts|Jones Associates in Phoenix, AZ
“Designing the Easton Collection Center has been a very rewarding process of discovery for all of us involved in the creative process. The rewards of our efforts come when we see how our search for sustainability, functionality, and historical relevance all converge to yield solutions that are both surprising and delightful. The visual and symbolic beauty that we discover when we strive for these abstract goals reassures us of the validity of our decision making. These happy rewards give us cause to believe in the sustainable vitality of this new place that we have created at MNA.”

Paul Kephart, Ecologist from Rana Creek Living Architecture in Carmel Valley, CA
“The Easton Collection Center evokes the spirit of water, the connection to life within its living systems, and the spirit of place. It is an excellent example of the integration of natural process and ecological function as part of structure. Rana Creek is very pleased to have been a part of the design and implementation resulting in enhanced resource efficiency, restoration of natural habitat, and the interpretation of sustainable architecture.”

Pieter Schaafsma, Landscape Designer from Schaafsma Design in Flagstaff, AZ
“Visiting the landscape is akin to being drawn through a canyon by the continuity of visual elements which include native plants, attractive boulders, sculpted stone walls and captured views.”

The Construction Team
Mike Thomas, Project Manager from Kinney Construction Services in Flagstaff, AZ
“Kinney Construction Services has recently celebrated its 10 year anniversary in Flagstaff and the Easton Collection Center has been one of the finest projects we have ever been a part of. This project is unique in so many ways. It has been a privilege and we appreciate the forward-thinking of the MNA staff and the design team.”

More Information at www.musnaz.org/collcenter.html
About the Easton Collection Center
Key Green Building Strategies for the Easton Collection Center
Easton Collection Center Fact Sheet
Easton Collection Center Frequently Asked Questions
Importance of MNA’s Collections
Supporting Grants and Funding
Project’s Webcam