The Visitor Center and Museum join the exclusive ranks of only 10 other LEED-certified sites in the National Park Service and 185 LEED projects in St. Louis.

The 150,000-square-foot structure is located almost entirely underground, with a 3.1-acre green roof also serving to maximize surrounding park space beneath Eero Saarinen’s iconic arch.

The revamped museum opened to the public last summer as the centerpiece of a $380 million revitalization of the 91-acre park.

Cooper Robertson and James Carpenter Design Associates, with Trivers Associates, designed the expanded and renovated Visitor Center and Museum at the Gateway Arch. Features include additional galleries, public education facilities and visitor services, as well as a new glass entrance and plaza.

“The National Park service has ambitious sustainability goals that the design team embraced enthusiastically,” said Scott Newman, FAIA, partner at Cooper Robertson. "In addition to a 3.1-acre extensive green roof, the building features further sustainable and resilient design components such as LED lighting, high-efficiency HVAC systems, and close connections to local public transportation networks. These features bring a high level of efficiency that matches the National Park Service’s ambition. The LEED Gold certification recognizes that commitment and design innovation.” 

As previously reported in Roofing Contractor, Seele Group of Cos., based in Gersthofen, Germany, installed the steel and glass roof at the entrance to the visitors center near the base of the arch.

The roof comprises a total of 74 three-ply laminated panes in sizes of up to 2 x 5.5 meters, which are supported on a steel structure weighing 85 tons in total.