After working for more than five years, the Museum of Visual Materials has become the first building in South Dakota to reach platinum status through the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program.

'A hard goal to reach'

The platinum certification is the program's highest level of certification, which rates buildings according to their sustainability in a number of areas such as water efficiency, using renewable energy sources and recycled materials. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

"When we initially started the process, we never thought that we would be able to reach a platinum certification," said Jeremy Brech, the museum's director. "To reach platinum is a hard goal to reach."

Brech said the hope is that reaching platinum status through the LEED program will help entice more people to visit the museum.

"It's great for our building, it's great for Sioux Falls and it's great for the whole state," he said.

Five other buildings in South Dakota have LEED certifications, including two in Sioux Falls, but none at the platinum level, according to the Green Building Council's website.

Building dates to 1887

The Museum of Visual Materials, at 500 N. Main Ave., opened about three years ago, but the process to become LEED certified began in 2005 when construction started, Brech said. The building has been around since 1887.

A number of things were done to make the building more sustainable, including installing a geothermal heating and cooling system and using solar panels on the roof. The museum also used renewable wheat cabinetry and cork and bamboo for the flooring, Brech said.

Using what's available

Some of the biggest material savings came from using what already was there, however. Architects were able to reuse the building shell and refurbish the original wood floor in the museum's main hall, said Stacey McMahan, a principal with Koch Hazard Architects who worked on the project.

"By not replacing the old floor but just refinishing it, we avoided using virgin material for that, and so that was a resource and energy that was not expended. Plus, it has a lot of character," McMahan said.

McMahan is working on two other buildings in the area that she hopes will reach platinum certification. The Heartland Consumer's Power District building in Madison would be the first newly constructed building to achieve the status.

The Rural Learning Center building in Howard also is working to reach the designation.