Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College

Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

Established in 1990, the Center for Curatorial Studies (CCS Bard) is an incubator for experimentation in exhibition-making and the leading institution dedicated exclusively to curatorial studies. The Hessel Museum of Art, built in 2006, presents experimental group exhibitions and monographic shows, some of which draw from the Marieluise Hessel Collection of Contemporary Art.

In 2010, Bard College became a signatory of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), now known as the Carbon Commitment, and pledged to achieve carbon-neutrality by 2035. The Bard Climate Action Plan (created in 2010 and updated in 2017) is a roadmap document of strategies and tactics to achieve 100 percent renewable energy and campus-wide carbon-neutrality. In 2023, the Bard Office of Sustainability completed an Energy Master Plan, a technical report that investigated the feasibility of campus-wide geothermal conversions, maximizing on-site solar, and other major energy improvements. Since 2013, all lighting on campus has been upgraded to LED.

Bard College has been a leader and early adopter of geothermal, with systems on campus dating to the late 1980s. The college aims to make CCS Bard into a high-performance facility with upgrades to the HVAC system and building envelope to increase energy efficiency and eliminate fuel oil consumption. Building upon the success of the Museum’s 2023 FCI-supported Technical Assistance project—which included a suite of air infiltration and envelope diagnostic testing—this project will implement a scope of air-sealing measures that were previously identified.

The Envelope & Air-sealing Upgrades Project will reduce air infiltration rates and address the leakiest and worst-performing areas of the facility. This will reduce energy consumption required for space heating and cooling, humidification and dehumidification, and fresh air ventilation.

Milestones

• Reduce air infiltration rates by at least 10 percent

• Reduce oil consumption by approximately 2000 gallons (~300 MMBtu) annually

• Reduce emissions by approximately 29.7 mtCO2 annually