Mercedes-Benz Stadium Set to Achieve LEED Platinum, an NFL, MLS Stadium First
Environmental Leaderby Jessica Lyons Hardcastle
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Atlanta Falcon’s new home, is seeking LEED Platinum certification — and is “on target” to achieve this highest level of the green building rating from the US Green Building Council, says Falcons president and CEO Rich McKay.Once construction is completed this summer, the stadium is is expected to be the first NFL and MLS stadium to achieve LEED Platinum. It will also be the first sports facility to achieve all water credits available for LEED.The venue’s management has also committed to further restore natural water systems wetlands and damaged watersheds and are pursuing a new LEED Pilot Credit strategy called Water Restoration Certificates (WRC). Through this effort, the stadium will purchase WRCs locally from the Flint River in Georgia’s water supply, providing for a 100 percent regional impact and monetary benefits for the local watershed, the stadium managers say.Other sustainable building features include:
- Save 29 percent in energy usage compared to a typical stadium design
- Has 4,000 solar panels generating around 1.6 million kilowatt hours per year of renewable energy
- Electric car charging stations
- Onsite edible landscaping
- 680,000-gallon cistern used for water recapture and reuse for land irrigation
- 1 million gallon cooling tower