Yale Sculpture Building and Gallery

Photo credit: © Peter Aaron, Esto

Land Use & Community

While much of Yale University remains cloistered in quadrangles that exclude the citizens of New Haven, the Sculpture Building and Gallery invert those historic patterns. Pathways traverse the site, drawing pedestrians into the new complex. The east-west path is planned as an outdoor sculpture garden that connects all the way back to Louis Kahn's Yale University Art Gallery.

The project extends the University’s arts district westward, forging new urban relationships with the city at the edge of the campus and reclaiming what was formerly a derelict parking lot. The project reestablishes street frontage and raises parking off the ground. The new gallery facing Edgewood Avenue is coincident with existing historic structures. At night, the Sculpture Building illuminates the block, creating a safe passage from the main campus to the residential area at the campus edge. A University security office located in the parking structure benefits both students and the community.

Connectivity is further restored by the creation of safe bus stops; five bus lines stop within 1/4-mile of the site. Of the project's parking spaces, 6% are reserved for carpools and vehicles that run on alternative fuels. A consolidated program for the School of Art eliminates the need for driving between campus buildings. The Sculpture Building also includes 12 bicycle stalls as well as showers and changing rooms to encourage bicycle commuting.

Green Strategies

• Property Evaluation
  • Assess property for integration with local community and regional transportation corridors
• Responsible Planning
  • Ensure that development fits within a responsible local and regional planning framework
• Properties with Excessive Impacts
  • Avoid contributing to sprawl
• Support for Appropriate Transportation
  • Provide showers and changing areas for bicycle and pedestrian commuters
  • Provide storage area for bicycles
  • Provide access to public transportation
  • Provide vehicle access to support car and vanpooling
• Property Selection Opportunities
  • Look for opportunities for infill development
  • Select brownfield sites for development

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Our thanks to the ENERGY STAR program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and to the U.S. Department of Energy, and to BuildingGreen, Inc. for hosting the submission and judging forms.

For more information about the AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Projects, contact AIA/COTE. For help on how to use this Web site, contact .