From Guest Blogger H. E. James: Golden 1 Center’s LEED Platinum Status: What It Means for Sacramento and the World
Not every sports franchise thinks about sustainability and green building practices when planning its new arena. However, when your fans practically demand it of you, it’s difficult to ignore. This is what faced the Sacramento Kings when the front office began planning a new arena two years ago.
Like any other business, the Kings management had to ask how they were going to balance sustainability and profitability, especially in such a small National Basketball Association market. The answer came in the form of the sustainability practices themselves, including the new location.
The construction of the Golden 1 Center turned into a two-year quest for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification status. Planning to earn an LEED certification is never easy, let alone obtaining one. For nearly a decade, I worked in planning and building for a municipality smaller than Sacramento but almost as ambitious. Many projects came through our offices with grand LEED intentions, but they failed to meet them because of poor coordination and planning before construction even began.
In the end, the Kings went above and beyond their goal and earned Platinum certification in September of this year, making the Golden 1 Center the first indoor sports facility to earn the distinction.
Aiming for Gold
Most construction projects, no matter the size, begin with an LEED certification goal in mind. Some are ambitious and aim for Platinum from the earliest stages. Earning any LEED certification involves first registering with the United States Green Building Council and then earning points via a checklist of requirements.
This is where cooperation among all parties becomes integral to achieving construction goals and where municipalities such as mine saw intentions fall apart. Even the biggest construction companies, such as AECOM, the designer of the Golden 1 Center, can miss a step in an application process, such as applying for a bond, meeting the minutest code requirement, or missing a fee payment.
The Kings and AECOM, however, didn’t miss much of a beat and on September 22, the Golden 1 Center officially tallied enough points to earn Platinum status. Among these sustainable innovations are solar power that provides 100 percent of the arena’s power needs, 15 from panels on its roof and 85 from a nearby solar farm. The court itself even includes recycled shoes donated by players and fans.
Aiming for Hi-Tech
The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system in Golden 1 is itself as hi-tech. Never used in a sports venue in North America until now, the HVAC system aims air at the seats. This is anathema to traditional systems that pump air through fans and heat buildings from the top, down.
Of course, the tech doesn’t stop with the HVAC system. The entire arena has 650 miles, not feet, of fiber-optic cable and wi-fi access points for not just fans but operations staff. As noted by Wired.com, Golden 1 Center is practically a Tesla. When taking into account all the tech, smart building controls, and even cellular antennae to cover what wi-fi doesn’t, it’s impressive that Golden 1 Center powers itself entirely by solar.
The Kings and the Center have even created an app they call “the ultimate remote control.” The app is capable of helping fans find parking, tickets, and even their seats. Using the app means the end of paper waste, as the tickets will remain electronic. Fans can even order food and drinks via the app.
In order to keep discerning fans engaged, they’ve also created partnerships with sports tech upstarts like GameHedge, giving fans yet another way to get hooked on watching the team.
Aiming for Engagement
As the Kings’ pre-planning survey proved, corporate social responsibility is high on the list of what keeps consumers loyal to a brand. The planning and construction of the Golden 1 Center was an answer to Sacramento’s passionate campaign to keep the Kings in the city.
The arena’s Platinum certification also plays into fan engagement. As the first indoor sports arena in the world to reach it, the team and the City of Sacramento will have bragging rights beyond just performance. The story is what keeps fans, and this is quite the story.
Hattie is a writer and researcher from Boise, Idaho, with a varied background, including education and sports journalism. She is a former electronic content manager and analyst for a government agency, holds an MBA, enjoys supporting local businesses, and drinking a good cider. Connect with Hattie at https://www.linkedin.com/in/hejamesmba and https://twitter.com/hejames1008.
