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Rainwater is collected for use in on-site landscape irrigation. There are lots of recycled materials, such as steel railroad rails and car windshields used in the mezzanine's balustrade. Portions of the foundation of a building that previously occupied the site frame the sunken garden. More than 80 percent of construction debris was collected and recycled, keeping it out of landfills.

From neighboring highrises, the building's most visible sustainable feature is the 42-kilowatt array of photovoltaic panels that crowns its roof. The architects point out that this is the largest PV array in the city, with an output of 59 megawatts a year — 156 percent of the building's annual electrical consumption.

Selling power back to the utility company allows the EpiCenter to offset other energy costs. And because the array covers the entire roof, there is little heat gain through the roof, further reducing cooling loads. The building has no air-conditioning and is naturally cooled with operable windows, ceiling fans, and mechanical ventilation.

In October 2005, the $4.3 million EpiCenter made sustainability history when the U.S. Green Building Council gave it a platinum LEED rating, the highest rating attainable. EpiCenter is the first building in Boston, and the first K-12 school anywhere, to earn a platinum certification.

The city of Boston helped make this possible, bestowing nearly $20,000 in a "Green Building Grant" to help pay for some of the building's sustainable features. The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative donated a half-million dollars for the PV system. The building recently won an unprecedented two awards in a joint program of the Boston Society of Architects/ AIA and the New York AIA Chapter, for both design excellence and sustainability.

How good is the match between EpiCenter and the program it serves? "This building represents who we are and what we do," says Artists for Humanity executive/ artistic director and founder Susan Rodgerson. "It symbolizes self-sufficiency and progressive action."

Michael J. Crosbie is editor-in-chief of Faith & Form, a senior associate with Steven Winter Associates, and a contributing editor to ArchitectureWeek.

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The mezzanine gallery of "EpiCenter," the new home for Artists for Humanity in South Boston, designed by Arrowstreet Architects. Photo: Richard Mandelkorn Recycled car windshields in the mezzanine's balustrade. Photo: Richard Mandelkorn Plexiglas walls in the shops helps with light distribution. Photo: Richard Mandelkorn Light-filled painting studio. Photo: Richard Mandelkorn Bathrooms and interior partition systems were largely installed and designed by current and past students. Photo: Richard Mandelkorn Natural ventilation with ceiling fan recirculation. Windows are opened during temperate weather, and fans provide additional air movement. Dedicated exhaust fans remove undesirable fumes. Image: Arrowstreet Architects Natural ventilation on the gallery and mezzanine levels. The gallery is also vented by operable windows and a huge roll-up door. Fans circulate gallery air and in the summer force air in from both ends of the building. Image: Arrowstreet Architects Mechanical ventilation with dedicated exhaust. During the winter, recirculated and heat-recovered air provides ventilation, and exhaust fans remove undesirable fumes. Fans also destratify indoor air. Image: Arrowstreet Architects Mechanical ventilation with dedicated exhaust. During the winter, recirculated and heat-recovered air provides ventilation, and exhaust fans remove undesirable fumes. Fans also destratify indoor air. Image: Arrowstreet Architects Night-time purge in a typical studio floor. After occupants have left, the windows are opened and the summer vent exhausts all the air from the building. The windows are closed in the early morning to retain the cooler air, and ceiling fans provide local cooling. Image: Arrowstreet Architects   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.