It may be commonly thought that LEED standards and ratings can be applied exclusively to residential and commercial buildings. As the first LEED Platinum certified sports arena in the world, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta Georgia has proven that large scale sports infrastructure can also meet LEED standards. The arena scored the highest LEED ranking for sports venues in North America, meeting 88 of the 110 LEED rating criteria.
Under LEED criteria, large scale infrastructure projects are judged in the same manner as other infrastructure. The Mercedes-Benz Stadium was judged on seven categories:
- Sustainable Sites
- Water Efficiency
- Energy & Atmosphere
- Material & Resources
- Indoor Environmental Quality
- Innovation
- Regional Priority Credits
Its Platinum ranking can be attributed to the many sustainable factors that were implemented into its design.
- Renewable and efficient energy use through the implementation of LED lighting within the stadium and 4000 solar panels producing energy;
- Infrastructure for alternative modes of transportation including biking, electric cars, and public transit;
- Rainwater harvesting and flood-controlling infrastructure that can hold 2 million gallons of water;
- Community partnerships with organizations to share and reuse captured rainwater for tree irrigation;
- Partnerships with local organizations to promote local food production and education;
- Green space for parking and cultural events.
The arena is expected to see long-term benefits and savings in both energy use and water consumption due to its sustainable infrastructure, programs, and design. Not only will the building itself benefit, the design’s larger-scale vision benefits the surrounding community through the community programs that have been established to promote health and economic well-being, and from its advanced stormwater management system, which was awarded full points in the LEED certification, that will aid in protecting the surrounding flood prone community.
The Mercedes-Benz stadium can be considered a leader in design and innovation for large-scale sports infrastructure and demonstrates to other sports developments that implementation of sustainable and responsible design and construction is something that can be done for any venue, no matter its purpose, size or scale.
Sources
Atlanta Falcons’ Stadium Scores Top Marks for Sustainability. (2018). Retrieved October 16, 2018, from http://plus.usgbc.org/mercedes-benz-stadium/
H. (2017, November 15). Mercedes-Benz Stadium Becomes North America’s First LEED Platinum Professional Sports Stadium. Retrieved October 16, 2018, from https://www.hok.com/about/news/2017/11/15/mercedes-benz-stadium-becomes-first-professional-sports-stadium-to-receive-leed-platinum-certification/
LEED BD C: New Construction v3 – LEED 2009 Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2018, from https://www.usgbc.org/projects/mercedesbenz-stadium
Sitz, M. (2017, December 20). Green and LEED-Certified Stadium Design. Retrieved October 16, 2018, from https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/13163-green-and-leed-certified-stadium-design