Consol arena ranks for eco-friendliness

The antarctic birds’s usual frolicking grounds might be white, but the Pittsburgh Penguins’… The antarctic birds’s usual frolicking grounds might be white, but the Pittsburgh Penguins’ skating territory boasts green — technology that is.

The International Stadium Business Awards in Barcelona, Spain, named the Consol Energy Center a finalist in the Sustainability category for its achievements in energy efficiency and design. Although the arena, which attracts some of the biggest celebrities for concerts,  didn’t get the gold at that ceremony, the directors consider it an achievement that the building earned a Gold LEED certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

“From a very early stage we were committed to achieving LEED certification. At the outset we really didn’t know what level of LEED certification we’d be able to attain because it’s very difficult to reach [a Gold certification] with buildings of this size,” Travis Williams, chief operating officer of the Penguins, said.

The larger the building, the larger its carbon footprint tends to be, so a green stadium-sized building presented a significant challenge. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, known as LEED, recognizes achievement in site sustainability, water and energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, innovation in design process and pollution-prevention control in downtown areas, among other categories. Gold certification signifies attaining one of the highest possible levels of sustainability.

The sports arena and concert venue is the namesake of Consol Energy, a company of diversified energy production, that works to find cleaner and efficient energy sources, according to its website.

When the center opened, it had the only newly developed LEED-certification on an arena of its kind in the National Hockey League; several other sports, such as the NBA’s Orlando Magic, have since received certification or are working toward it.

The Steel City had precedent for green innovation long before the Consol Energy Center broke ground. At the time of its construction in 2003, the David Lawrence Convention Center held the first LEED-Gold-certification for a convention center and the largest green building in the world. Other Pittsburgh LEED-certified buildings include Point Park University’s dance studio, which was certified as LEED Gold in 2008, and the WYEP radio station in the South Side — which was certified LEED Silver in 2006.

The Consol’s assistant general manager and director of marketing, Rob Goodman, said that from the building’s inception, they sought to make the center sustainable.

“Sustainability was important for everyone involved. It’s part of the Penguins brand to be on the cutting edge. They want to be a leader in the community — and this community does put a lot of weight behind sustainability and environmental issues,” he said.

Aurora Sharrard, LEED accredited professional and director of innovation for the Green Building Alliance, a non-profit that educates groups about sustainable building practices, head the alliance’s research and provides technical support for green building projects in Pittsburgh. She explained what goes into a successful environmental project.

“Good green projects are the ones that integrate sustainable building from the very beginning, and they really did that. They thought about green innovation, about technology and about fan experience — and it’s really neat to see how all of those things layer together,” she said.

Although the hockey and concert arena did not take home the gold at the Stadium Business Awards — the award went to the Air Canada Centre in Toronto — its management team is very pleased to have achieved LEED Gold certification. “We are very excited to add this to the buildings’ resumé as another credential that makes us stand out in the crowd,” the Consol Energy Center’s general manager Jay Roberts said.

The commitment to sustainability is an ongoing process, and the Consol Energy Center staff knows there is room for improvement, Williams said. In the year since the building has been open, the arena staff have made small changes to improve and minimize the building’s eco-footprint, such as making lighting even more energy-efficient. Next season, the building management team will conduct a thermal-comfort survey of Penguins fans and concert-goers to determine what temperature patrons prefer in the building and adjust accordingly.

But why go through the momentous hassle of going green?

“The simple answer is that it’s the right thing to do. Anytime you can do something when you’re building a major facility of this size in a way that is environmentally friendly, that makes good sense,” Williams said. “It benefits the community as a whole and makes good business sense too, because it’s more efficient and economical, which ultimately allow you to save money. It’s the best of both worlds.”