
PAAM's physical plant has been awarded a Silver LEED rating by the United States Green Building Council to recognize PAAM’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The rating quantifies PAAM’s environmental performance, and assures the public that PAAM’s facility is designed and operated to help save energy and natural resources.

The project has recieved a 2006 American Institute of Architects Merit Award for Design Excellence, and recognition within the AIA's 2007 Committee on the Environment (COTE).
The building is wood-frame construction over a concrete basement. The old portion of the Museum, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is clad with white cedar shingles; the new portion of the Museum is clad with custom Spanish Cedar shingles and louvers.
There are board-form concrete walls at the facility’s new entry and along the west wall. Interior materials include heartpine and douglas fir floors, plaster walls and white oak cabinetry.
Significant aspects of PAAM’s green building program include:
- Updating and reusing a significant portion of the existing structure, preserving and recycling materials and history
- The creation of a thermally efficient skin with added insulation and high-performance windows - a tight building resistant to the variables of humidity and temperature in a New England coastal environment
- The use of natural light where possible in gallery and studio spaces, saving energy costs while providing a beneficial environment conductive to the presentation and creation of works of art
- Installation of a daylight dimming system to supplement natural light with artificial light as required
- Use of a photovoltaic array to generate a portion of the building’s energy from sunlight
-Installation of high-efficient plumbing and mechanical equipment
- Providing a ventilation system that, when appropriate, allows the building to be cooled with outside air
- Use of recycled, local and low-emitting building materials where possible
- Installation of landscape materials that utilizes native plants and minimizes run-off from storm water
visit the webpage of the architectural firm of Machado and Silvetti Associates for more information about the restoration and new construction of PAAM

floorplan.pdf