GRAND RAPIDS, MI.-This week, the new Grand Rapids Art Museum will open to the public as the first art museum in the world whose entire facility is LEED-certified "green." The $75 million building was designed by wHY Architecture, led by principal Kulapat Yantrasast, a former apprentice of Tadao Ando.

In order to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, the Museum has incorporated energy-efficient lighting, heating and cooling systems and recycling systems for water and paper supplies. Natural light will be utilized throughout the public and private spaces of the building. The central urban location of the museum allows for easy access by public transportation and bicycle. As part of the LEED certification, GRAM will also build awareness of environmentally friendly efficiencies through education programs and activities.

GRAM's Inaugural exhibitions include:

Modern and Contemporary Art from the Netherlands: The ABN AMRO Collection features thirty-five paintings, many of monumental scale, from the art collection of ABN AMRO based in Amsterdam. The exhibition explores themes and contradictory issues in modern and contemporary Dutch art, from subjects that recall the Dutch painting traditions of portraiture and landscape to works of pure abstraction, both rational and expressive. October 5, 2007 - January 6, 2008

Another Place, Another Time: Chris Van Allsburg Drawings is an exhibition of seventy-seven works by celebrated "Polar Express" author/illustrator and Grand Rapids native Chris Van Allsburg. October 6, 2007 - January 20, 2008

Art and the Environment: Design Solutions explores the green design features of the new Grand Rapids Art Museum. Visitors will learn about the LEED certification process and its role in the construction and function of GRAM. October 5, 2007 - June 2008.