The Wild Center/Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks, a new complex in Tupper Lake, N.Y., expected to save 20-30 percent of normal operating costs, has earned a LEED® Silver certification from the U.S. Green Buildings Council. The center collaborated with HOK on LEED criteria for the 54,000-square-foot museum’s main building and its overall campus design; and with HOK, the Office of Charles P. Reay, and Phinney Design Group for its new photovoltaics array-sporting BioBuilding administrative offices. The 31-acre site was an open-cut sand quarry in its previous incarnation, enabling the architects to minimize disturbance of the existing natural habitat. A three-acre pond creates an indigenous wetland that invites critters close to the museum and also aids in the site’s stormwater management. Composting toilets reduce water consumption, while a well-insulated envelope, low VOC materials, efficient air filtration, air-quality monitoring, and digitally controlled building management all combine to create a healthy indoor environment. The museum, designed in indigenous Adirondacks style with locally available materials, is developing exhibit-style labels so that visitors can learn about its environmental strategies. The Wild Center represents HOK’s 23rd project to earn LEED recognition.