‘The Benz’ at the vanguard of sustainability

Article posted by Coliseum, April 5^th, 2021

Image: Mercedes-Benz Stadium

The Mercedes-Benz Stadium (US) has earned the tag of the ‘Most Sustainable Sports Venue in the World’.

‘Mercedes-Benz Stadium’ stated that it is the first professional sports stadium to achieve LEED Platinum in the United States.

The 71,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium, also known as simply ‘The Benz’, is a multipurpose stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Opened in August 2017 as a replacement for the Georgia Dome, it serves as the home stadium of the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL) and Atlanta United FC of Major League Soccer (MLS).

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LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a green building rating program used worldwide. The highest LEED certification is LEED Platinum, awarded to buildings that attain 80 or more points.

‘Mercedes-Benz Stadium’ quoted Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank as stating, “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.”

The Atlanta Falcons residence is on the road to zero waste and is committed to zero waste! One will notice ‘recycling’ and ‘composting’ bins across the arena. Bottles and cans need to be placed in ‘recycling’ bins and all other items in ‘composting’ bins.

88 points

The venue has secured 88 points – the most LEED points for a sports venue in the world and the first professional sports stadium in the United States to achieve LEED Platinum certification.

Stormwater

The stadium has the capacity to store over 2,000,000 gallons of stormwater on site, helping prevent flooding in neighboring areas.

Renewable energy

The facility can power 10 Atlanta Falcons games or 13 Atlanta United matches with the renewable energy generated through its 4,000 solar PV panels.

Efficient lighting

The stadium features 82,500 square feet of LED lighting, which will last 10 times longer than standard lights and reduce energy usage by as much as 60 percent.

Water conservation

In aggregate, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium uses 47 percent less water than baseline (EP Act 1992) standards due to water-efficient fixtures and conservation infrastructure. It also takes pride in being the first sports stadium to receive all water category credits, due in large part to a highly-advanced stormwater management system.

Alternative transportation

The stadium boasts alternative transportation options, including a bike valet program on event days and new pedestrian-friendly walking paths allowing for more connectivity between communities.

The stadium also leads the NFL with the highest percentage of fans using public transportation to attend Falcons games – thanks to convenient access to public transportation (3 MARTA rail lines in .7 miles).

Community

The Mercedes-Benz stadium also enjoys innovative local food production features such as: Edible landscaping, an urban garden currently in development and partnership with local organizations to train Westside residents in culinary arts and help place them in living wage jobs in the industry. It has also partnered with community organizations like Trees Atlanta to share captured rainwater for tree irrigation.

Trees Atlanta is a nonprofit community group that protects and improves Atlanta’s urban forest by planting, conserving and educating. Trees Atlanta has become one of the most widely-known and respected non-profits locally, as well as nationally, for their work as stewards of the urban environment.

‘Recycle for Good’ presented by Novelis (American industrial aluminum company) is a program whose mission is to recycle three million aluminum bottles and cans, which, in turn, will fund a ‘Habitat for Humanity’ home in Atlanta’s historic Westside neighborhood. The stadium authorities have made a plea to help them reach that goal by donating cans and bottles to the ‘Recycle for Good’ program, with recycling stations throughout the venue and at Gate 1 and Gate 2.

Blank concluded by stating, “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.”

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