Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation Awards $1.3 Million Grant to the Museum of Broadcast Communications

Contact: James Mann, Executive Director
(312) 372-5191

Museum to build first publicly accessible LEED Gold certified green building in Illinois

Chicago (May 18, 2004) - The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation today awarded a $1.2 million grant to the Museum of Broadcast Communications to support construction of a pacesetting energy efficient “green building” as the Museum’s new 50,000 square-foot home. An additional $100,000 for the Museum’s green building education efforts was also awarded by the Foundation. The $1.3 million grant is the third largest grant awarded by the Foundation since its inception.

“The new Museum of Broadcast Communications building will add a highly visible, publicly accessible green building to Chicago’s world renowned collection of significant architectural landmarks,” said James Mann, Executive Director of the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation. “This remarkable building introduces a number of highly innovative features to Illinois that can be readily adopted by others in their future building projects and illustrates the strong economics for building green.”

The Museum’s building is expected to earn a gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council under its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. This voluntary system emphasizes state of the art strategies for meeting the Foundation’s priorities in energy efficiency, complimented by similar standards for sustainable site development, water savings, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. Gold is the second highest rating on the Council’s scale for energy efficient buildings.

"This grant is a great step forward in our effort to make Chicago the most environmentally conscious city in the nation," said Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. "The new Museum of Broadcast Communications will be a wonderful example of energy efficiency and green construction, setting a high standard for buildings throughout the Chicago area and throughout the nation. I congratulate the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation for making this wise investment in our city's environmental quality of life."

The Museum’s new home, located in Chicago’s River North neighborhood on the corner of State and Kinzie, will have dramatically reduced electricity demands due to its energy efficient design. The energy saved from the upgrade will result in less pollution and reduced operating and maintenance expenses every year.

“It was the unanimous consensus of our board that this project exemplified our mission and was worthy of a grant of this amount. There is no question that this building will serve as a model for future green buildings to come,” said Peter Peters, Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation Chairman.

The Museum will use $100,000 of the Foundation grant toward a green building education program at the museum. Educational kiosks and media access points will be installed in the museum to tell visitors “the green building story,” showcasing the benefits of the green features incorporated at the Museum.

“We are so excited that our new home will be leading the way in green building design,” said Bruce DuMont, Founder, President and CEO of the Museum of Broadcast Communications. “The Museum is grateful to the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation for helping us make our vision a reality. With our new home, we hope to provide inspiration for others who want to create environmentally friendly green buildings throughout Illinois,” continued DuMont.

Two green features of the building will optimize efficiency by employing the use of soy-based products. A soy roof coating makes the roof reflective, internally leading to a smaller HVAC system and externally reducing the urban heat island effect. A soy-based spray foam insulation used in the building’s walls produces enhanced thermal insulation and superior acoustical performance. The use of these soy-based products at the same time importantly promotes economic development in Illinois by creating a new market for one of the state’s premier crops.

The Museum has hired Helen J. Kessler, AIA, to oversee the greening of its new building. Architect and sustainable design consultant Kessler has spent her career working in the areas of energy efficiency, sustainable design, lighting design, and renewable energy. Eckenhoff Saunders Architects (ESA) and Pepper Construction have been selected to complete the building’s renovation.

About the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation:
The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation exists to improve energy efficiency, advance the development of renewable energy resources and protect natural areas for people in communities across Illinois.

Since 2001, the Foundation has awarded more than 924 grants totaling $54.5 million to support projects in 88 counties throughout Illinois. For more information on Illinois Clean Energy please visit: www.illinoiscleanenergy.org

About the Museum of Broadcast Communications:
As one of only three such museums in the country, the Museum of Broadcast Communication celebrates the history of broadcasting in the United States, with special emphasis on Chicago's rich radio and television heritage. It is also home to the National Radio Hall of Fame & Museum and to a treasure trove of more than 85,000 hours of historic radio and television tapes. The Museum first opened in 1987 at River City in the South Loop and will reopen at its new location in early 2006. For more information on the Museum of Broadcast Communications, please visit: www.museum.tv.

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