Five of the ‘Greenest’ NBA Arenas In the United States
- American Airlines AArena- Miami Heat
- Amway Center- Orlando Magic
- Barclays Center- Brooklyn Nets
- Moda Center- Portland Trail Blazers
- Phillips Arena- Atlanta Hawks
Many homes and buildings are now being constructed with a ‘green’ concept in mind and now NBA arenas have followed suit. Basketball fans are now being educated all over our country, thanks to green NBA arenas. So much so, the NBA is now an industry leader in green building. There are currently about a half dozen LEED certified arenas that are utilizing sustainability practices to improve their community. Let’s take a look at the five ‘greenest’ NBA arenas that are beautiful but still highly functional for players and fans alike.
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American Airlines Arena- Miami Heat
The American Airlines Arena in Miama, Florida received their LEED certification back in 2009, making it one of the first green arenas in the U.S. Ongoing performance monitoring takes place to ensure requirements are still being met and in 2015, a certification was actually outperformed. This led to a LEED Gold certification. It’s a beautiful arena for Miami Heat games and other events that take place throughout the year.
Amway Center- Orlando Magic
Reaping the benefits of that powerful Orlando sun, the Amway Center also received the LEED gold certification when it comes to new construction ratings. The arena utilizes forty percent less water than your average arena, saving 1.3 million gallons of water each year. Twenty percent less energy is used overall.
Barclays Center- Brooklyn Nets
Known for its unique exterior design, you might not be aware that the Barclays Center in Brooklyn is actually a green arena. The original construction project for the Center was done as an effort to revitalize the area. Switching over to a more sustainable option, the Barclays Center received a LEED silver label back in 2013.
Moda Center- Portland Trail Blazers
This building is formerly known as the Rose Garden Arena, this is the first building to receive a LEED Gold certification as being an existing structure that made green improvements rather than doing a full-on, new construction project. Not only do the Portland Trail Blazers pave the way when it comes to successful sports teams, but now they are showing their true support to their community by utilizing sustainable resources and renewable energy. The website of the Environmental Protection Agency contains additional information on green building.
Philips Arena- Atlanta Hawks
This is one of the most popular and best event arenas in the entire world and it is also a highly green NBA arena. Holding a LEED certification for existing buildings, operation and maintenance, there are approximately 1.6 million guests that come through the arena each year. The home of the Atlantic Hawks uses this opportunity to educate an audience of going green and its benefits. Currently, over 4.5 million kilowatt hours are saved annually.
Going green from a building perspective is a great opportunity for NBA arenas to save money on their facility but also to give back to the community and show people how important it is to care about the world that we live in. With some changes or a better building perspective, we can create impressive and sustainable arenas all over the world. Not only will this save money in the long run but it will provide a healthier and better environment for future generations to grow up in. Watching an NBA game has just gotten more important than ever before thanks to these green developments and the five greenest NBA arenas in the U.S.
