NEWS MEIS, the First Green Italian Historic Building Site

By Rossella Tercatin

The building site of the Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah in Ferrara (MEIS) is the first in Italy to receive the Green Building Council Historic Building Certificate. This implies that all the aspects of the building, from the design process to the material used, had been carried out following criteria for environmental sustainability.

The museum stands on the site of the former prison of Via Piangipane. The first part for exhibitions was inaugurated in December 2017 and a new wing will be open in a few months.

The MEIS is the first Italian museum to be granted the certificate awarded by the Green Building Council Italia, which operates following the international rating system LEED. The museum is also the first site to comply with the complex and demanding criteria of the protocol for environmental sustainability for historic buildings.

This last type certificate has been created by GBC Italia taking into consideration the specific situation of Italy, where over 30% of the building sites are devoted to renovated structures built before 1945.