Home of the Atlanta Falcons, the NFL’s newest stadium, has been recognized as one of the most sustainable venues in the world.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium has been recognized as one of the world’s most sustainable sports venues after achieving the highest LEED score ever for a professional sports stadium.
The home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, which opened in August 2017, gained 88 points from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), making it the first sports facility in the world to be awarded platinum certification.
Featured on the cover of the September issue of Stadia, Falcon’s owner Arthur Blank built the stadium with sustainability being one of the major criteria of the groundbreaking design. Mercedes-Benz stadium achieved the accolade as a design features such as LED lighting that use 60% less energy than standard lights, and employing solar PV panels that harvest enough renewable energy to power nine Atlanta Falcons games.
The stadium’s highly-efficient water systems, using 47% less than baseline standards and including the ability to capture and put to use storm water, see it become the first sports stadium to be awarded all water category credits.
In addition, fans are encouraged to use environmentally-friendly transportation options and the stadium offers bike valet and EV charging stations for 48 electric vehicles.
“We set out to build a venue that would not only exceed expectations, but also push the limits of what was possible in terms of stadium design, fan experience and sustainability,” Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United owner and chairman Arthur Blank notes.
“We set a goal of achieving the highest LEED rating because it was the right thing to do for our city and the environment, and with this achievement, we have a powerful new platform to showcase to the industry and to our fans that building sustainably and responsibly is possible for a venue of any type, size and scale.”
