The arena’s sustainability efforts don’t stop with the restrooms. The arena’s cooling towers operate on 100 percent reclaimed water and feature a treatment system that allows for significant water recycling.
As part of the facility’s Earth Assist sustainability program, the arena is focusing on five key areas of sustainability, including energy, transportation, food, waste and water – focusing on everything from energy-efficient operations to minimizing carbon emissions to water conservation. In fact, fans are encouraged to bring refillable water bottles to events to help further limit the facility’s carbon footprint and utilize the many refillable bottle stations dotting the arena.
In addition, Henderson Engineers, a national building systems design firm, worked to incorporate sustainable mechanical engineering components in the building, including two megawatts of rooftop solar panels and 11 megawatts of on-site battery storage, which help the facility operate carbon free and produce no pollution from burning natural gas or other fossil fuels.
Intuit Dome also features sustainable technologies like heat pumps, heat recovery chillers, highly efficient mag-bearing chillers, and arena bowl under-seat supply air distribution. Rather than ventilation and air conditioning being released from overhead air ducts, the under-seat air supply is an innovative, energy-efficient solution that provides comfort for thousands of visitors, while adding to the facility’s sustainability initiatives.
Maura Keller is a freelance writer based in Plymouth, Minnesota.
Intuit Dome Setting Standards for Restrooms at NBA Arenas
Sustainability Beyond the Restroom
