Mayor Garcetti announced that the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC), professionally managed by AEG Facilities, has become the largest convention center in America to be recertified at the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold level. The venue first achieved Gold certification in 2010.
LEED is the universally recognized green building rating system developed by the U. S. Green Building Council (USGBC) that helps the building industry operate in a more environmentally conscious manner. The number of points a project earns in various categories–including sustainable sites, water efficiency, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality–determines the level of LEED certification the project receives. LEED Gold is the second highest of the four possible LEED certifications awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a nonprofit alliance of builders, environmentalists, and other industry professionals.
“Today, we take another concrete step in the implementation of our Sustainable City pLAn – a plan that sets some of the boldest environmental targets in America. Green building, energy efficiency, and water conservation are central to our efforts to clean our air, reduce our waste, and build a more livable city,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “Congratulations to the Los Angeles Convention Center for its continued environmental stewardship, which has once again earned LEED Gold certification.”
The facility, a Downtown Los Angeles landmark, has demonstrated its commitment to sustainable operations for many years. The venue became the first LEED Existing Building for Operations & Maintenance (LEED-EB: O&M) Gold certified building in the City of Los Angeles in 2010 and now holds the first convention center Gold recertification on the West Coast.
“District 9 is tremendously proud of the way the Los Angeles Convention Center is responding to the one of the most critical challenges of our generation,” said Councilmember Curren D. Price, Jr. “Sustainability is one of our core values and the Convention Center is a great model for the city, state, nation and industry.”
The LACC staff has also undertaken large-scale green projects outside of the scope of the LEED certification, further demonstrating the continuous effort to improve building efficiency and operations. Thanks to projects like the installation of 700 low-flush toilets, the building will decrease toilet water use by 20-25 percent. Projected water savings will be about 320,000 gallons per year following a 30,000 square foot turf removal project.
Additional projects planned for completion in 2015-2016 will contribute to the LACC’s resource conservation goals across major areas including energy and water.
“The LACC takes a comprehensive approach to sustainability with environmental best-practices permeating every aspect of our business operations. The venue is recognized as a champion of environmental and social responsibility in the Los Angeles community and we will continue our efforts to reduce the venue’s environmental footprint by seeking sustainable practices and investing in environmentally-friendly products and technology. The ongoing efforts will preserve the LACC’s position as an industry leader in environmental standards,” commented Brad Gessner, Senior Vice President of AEG Facilities and General Manager of the Los Angeles Convention Center.
