Golden 1 Center scores more LEED points than any other sports venue

SACRAMENTO (Sept. 23, 2016) — AECOM has designed the first indoor sports venue to achieve LEED Platinum certification. Golden 1 Center, home of the NBA Sacramento Kings, has earned the highest score for a sports venue in the LEED program and placed in the top three percent of all buildings certified.

“We worked with the Kings to design Golden 1 Center for fans, city and planet,” said Bill Hanway, AECOM’s global sports leader. “Our architects, sports designers, sustainability experts, engineers, urban planners and landscape architects worked together from the beginning to shape an indoor-outdoor arena that is revitalizing downtown Sacramento and setting a new global standard for sustainability.”

Golden 1 Center’s downtown location makes the arena accessible by bike, bus, foot, light rail or Amtrak. Solar energy provides all of the building’s power. Giant aircraft-hangar doors open to the cooling Delta Breeze, and a public plaza with water-saving gardens welcomes the community year-round.

“From the beginning, we’ve strived to be the greenest team, representing a region that embraces conservation and care for the environment,” said Kings President Chris Granger. “Golden 1 Center will stand out as a global model for how businesses, communities and designers can think about the environment in innovative and intelligent ways, without compromising quality and comfort.”

“Early collaboration in our integrated design approach led to important innovations,” said Alastair MacGregor, AECOM’s vice president, high-performance buildings. “For example, a first-of-its-kind displacement ventilation system saves energy and improves fan comfort by delivering conditioned air directly beneath the seats and allowing people to influence the temperature through an app on their phones.”

Key sustainability metrics for Golden 1 Center include:

• First 100% solar-powered professional sports venue
• 45 percent reduction in water use over stringent California code
• 30 percent reduction in energy use over stringent California Title 24 code
• 2,000 fewer tons of annual carbon emissions
• 99 percent of demolition materials recycled
• 95 percent of construction waste diverted
• 36 percent of construction materials from recycled sources
• 30 percent of construction materials from regional sources
• 90 percent of food and beverage concessions sourced from within 150 miles
• First venue to solicit crowdsourced feedback to maximize fan comfort and minimize energy consumption
• Largest onsite bike valet program at a sports venue

“Golden 1 Center is the first of a new generation of sports arenas, setting a new global standard for sustainable design and performance,” said Justin Zeulner, executive director of the Green Sports Alliance. “We’re proud to see AECOM, a member of Green Sports Alliance, realize this achievement.”

AECOM’s role on the project included architecture, engineering (MEP, structural, civil, and high-performance buildings), programming, interior design, environmental design, urban planning, landscape design, and sustainability consulting.

Get a first look at the arena of the future (video, 3:37).

About AECOM

AECOM is built to deliver a better world. We design, build, finance and operate infrastructure assets for governments, businesses and organizations in more than 150 countries. As a fully integrated firm, we connect knowledge and experience across our global network of experts to help clients solve their most complex challenges. From high-performance buildings and infrastructure, to resilient communities and environments, to stable and secure nations, our work is transformative, differentiated and vital. A Fortune 500 firm, AECOM had revenue of approximately $18 billion during fiscal year 2015. See how we deliver what others can only imagine at aecom.com and @AECOM.

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Media Contact:
Brendan Ranson-Walsh
Vice President, Global External Communications
1.212.739.7212
Brendan.Ranson-Walsh@aecom.com