The Washington Nationals' gleaming new baseball park that opens tomorrow night
will be the first green professional stadium in the United States, the US Green
Building Council said yesterday.
The stadium received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED,
certification from the council yesterday for its energy-conserving and
environmental design.
To earn the certification, the ballpark was outfitted with energy-saving
light fixtures, water-conserving plumbing, drought-resistant plants, and a green
roof over the concessions area.
It was also erected on a restored brownfield, and it has special systems in
place to keep stormwater runoff from polluting the nearby Anacostia River.
"One of the things that really strikes me about stadium facilities is that
they directly touch millions of people over the course of their existence," the
council's Brendan Owens said.
The stadium will use air-cooled chillers for concessions instead of
water-cooled ones, as well, which will probably save 6 million gallons of water
each year.
The city spent $611 million to build the stadium, selling $535 million in
bonds in 2006. The DC Sports and Entertainment Commission said construction
alone cost $311 million.
In preparation for tomorrow's inaugural game against the Atlanta Braves,
workers bustled past photographers yesterday to add touches of blue paint to
seating and decor to the restaurant overlooking center field.
The Nationals, once the Montreal Expos, moved to Washington in 2005 after the
city pledged to build a Major League stadium.
The stadium's proximity to public transportation helped it earn the LEED
certification.