by Rebecca Walker — September 20, 2010—Alcoa announced it will play a key part in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ and the CONSOL Energy Center’s efforts to be green. Alcoa will work with the Penguins to promote recycling at the new 735,000-square-foot CONSOL Energy Center and throughout Pittsburgh.
Alcoa’s Kawneer unit, the leading supplier of architectural aluminum products and systems for the commercial construction industry, has supplied products that are integral to the new facility’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification, signifying the building as among the most environmentally responsible facilities in the world.
The CONSOL Energy Center is the first National Hockey League (NHL) arena and among the first sporting venues in the world to attain Gold LEED certification. Of the 42 LEED points the CONSOL Energy Center received as part of the rigorous process, nearly 40 percent were aided by using Alcoa’s Kawneer products (nine for indoor environmental quality; seven for materials and resources).
Alcoa and the Penguins have been long-time proponents of recycling, with Alcoa recycling approximately 700,000 metric tons of aluminum a year back into new and infinitely recyclable products. In the new CONSOL Energy Center, Alcoa Recycling will make more than 200 recycling bins available for use inside and outside the facility year-round.
The Penguins and Alcoa will also promote recycling in a variety of team vehicles throughout the season both within the CONSOL Energy Center and throughout Pittsburgh.
The CONSOL Energy Center was designed and constructed by Kansas City, Mo.-based architecture firm Populous (formerly HOK Sport Venue Event), Pittsburgh-based Astorino architectural firm, a joint venture between construction managers PJ Dick and Hunt Construction and project management firm ICON.
The construction team, which also included glazing contractors from Universal Glass & Metals, Inc. and D-M Products, Inc. was not only challenged to create a modern building that would meet the needs of the functional and sustainable requirements of the organization, but to do so in time for the start of the 2010-2011 hockey season.
Alcoa is the world’s leading producer of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina. For more information, see the Web site.
