BBVA Compass Stadium Earns LEED Silver Certification

Houston’s Newest Downtown Stadium Identified as Pioneering Example of New Construction Sustainable Design

HOUSTON (December 6, 2012)—BBVA Compass Stadium, an AEG Facility, has been awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Houston’s newest downtown stadium, the home of the 2012 Eastern Conference Champions, Houston Dynamo as well as Texas Southern University football, has been indentified as a pioneering example of new construction and sustainable design and is considered a leader in transforming the building industry.

“This level of achievement is the result of many companies and individuals working together in order to design, build and operate a state-of-the-art facility,” said BBVA Compass Stadium general manager Doug Hall. “From the efforts of the Harris County Houston Sports Authority and AEG to indentify a sustainable site for the building, to the innovative design by Populous and the construction materials and techniques of Manhattan Construction Company and Icon Venue Group, this has been a focused goal every step of the way. We are proud to have earned the Silver LEED® certification and will continue to operate in the most efficient manner possible to ensure a healthy, sustainable future for our community.”

BBVA Compass Stadium is the first new construction LEED® Silver sports facility in the city of Houston and joins other venues such as Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn and the MLS’ Jeld-Wen Field in Portland, Oregon in achieving this honor.

The stadium features that helped BBVA Compass Stadium achieve LEED® certification include:

• Diverting 86.85% of the on-site generated construction waste from landfill and providing ample recycling receptacles throughout the facility to encourage fan recycling;
• Reducing water use by 41% from a calculated baseline through the installation of high-energy toilets and non-water;
• Reducing energy use 20.41% using the ASHRAE 90.1-2007 baseline calculation methodology;
• Sourcing 98.42% of the total wood-based building materials from FSC certified forest;
• Providing preferred parking spaces for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles.

“BBVA Compass Stadium’s LEED® Silver certification demonstrates leadership and a true commitment to give back to their community,” said Jennifer Regan, Global Sustainability Director, AEG. “Their commitment to continually improve their environmental performance through the AEG 1EARTH program and their partnership with Houston Dynamo’s “Building a Better Planet” will ensure that the environmental benefits of the stadium will be enjoyed by the community for generations to come.”

BBVA Compass Stadium continues to build upon their environmental successes and will be focused on engaging fans in the stadium’s environmental program through Greenstar Recycling’s “Building a Better Planet” program along with their partner BBVA Compass. These programs encourage recycling during games and raise environmental awareness throughout the community.

ABOUT LEED
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a voluntary, consensus-based, market­-driven program that provides third-party verification of green buildings. From individual buildings and homes, to entire neighborhoods and communities, LEED is transforming the way built environments are designed, constructed, and operated. Comprehensive and flexible, LEED addresses the entire lifecycle of a building. Participation in the voluntary LEED process demonstrates leadership, innovation, environmental stewardship and social responsibility. LEED provides building owners and operators the tools they need to immediately impact their building’s performance and bottom line, while providing healthy indoor spaces for a building’s occupants.

LEED projects have been successfully established in 135 countries. International projects, those outside the United States, make up more than 50% of the total LEED registered square footage. LEED unites us in a single global community and provides regional solutions, while recognizing local realities.