By Ted Fischer
April 7, 2008

With baseball season underway, the Municipal Waste Management Association (MWMA) thought it was time to take a good look at the newly constructed, state-of-the-art facility at Washington Nationals Park. Located in Southeast Washington along the capitol riverfront just south of the Capitol Rotunda, the recently developed sustainable community is at the Capitol Riverfront. Affiliated with The United States Conference of Mayors, MWMA is dedicated to and driven by the needs of municipal solid waste directors, environmental commissions and public works professionals.

Home of The Washington Nationals, the new Nationals Park not only redefines a contemporary sports facility but also serves as the cornerstone or catalyst for a new mixed-use property in the nation’s capital. The exterior portico of the 41,222 seat venue features an innovative design of steel, glass and concrete to create a look that uniquely reflects the architecture of Washington (DC).

The concourses and seating decks are configured to create a variety of distinct neighborhoods, each with its own identity and viewing experience. As fans navigate the Ballpark’s vertical ramps throughout the levels of the facility, they observe panoramic views of the riverfront, Navy Yard, the surrounding city and landmarks such as the Capitol Rotunda and Washington Monument.

Nationals Park is the nation’s greenest ballpark. DC Mayor Adrian M. Fenty announced that the project received LEED® Silver Certification from the US Green Building Council, making it the first major stadium in the United States to achieve LEED Certification. LEED is a point-based system where projects earn points for satisfying specific green building criteria. LEED is a third party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. This project incorporated enough green design elements to qualify it for a higher level of certification. “Every resident of the District of Columbia should be proud that we not only have the greatest ballpark in the country, but also the greenest,” said Fenty. “The District of Columbia is the first in the nation to have a LEED Certified stadium and we have set the bar high for the rest of the country by winning LEED Silver status,” he added.

The new Nationals Park is now the first major league stadium in the United States accredited as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System certified ballpark. Located near the Anacostia River, the new ballpark was designed so as not add to the existing waterway conditions. This will be done by storm water management and the minimization of water pollution.

Earlier this year, Washington became the first major U.S. city to pass legislation requiring all new commercial building developments greater than 50,000 square feet to conform to the same sustainable design standards adopted by public projects. The city’s Green Building Act mandates LEED standards for major commercial construction beginning in 2012 and for all publicly financed buildings starting in 2008. “Creating a green ballpark was as fundamental as any requirement when we decided to embark on this mission to build a new state of the art stadium for the Washington Nationals,” said DC Sports and Entertainment Commission CEO Gregory A. O’Dell. “We are excited to set the environmental standard for the rest of the sporting world and we are extremely proud of this achievement for the District of Columbia,” he added.

Landscaping around the ballpark features drought-resistant plant materials to eliminate the need for irrigation and reduce the facility’s overall water consumption. Water-conserving plumbing fixtures, such as flow toilets and faucets, are used throughout the facility’s 1,100 public restrooms. The water conservation measure is projected to yield water savings of 37 percent, which equates to an estimated 3.6 million gallons of water per year.

Energy-efficient lighting systems are also used throughout the facility, from the stands and concessions to field lighting and scoreboard displays. The National’s lighting system is projected to consume 21 percent less energy compared to traditional field lighting systems, which equals energy savings of approximately 300 kilowatts of power per year.

Nationals Park incorporates reflective roofing materials to reduce the heat island effect. All construction materials used on the project feature at least ten percent recycled content and the materials were produced and sourced regionally when possible to reduce the costs and impact associated with long-distance transportation. Interiors of the facility, which include 30,000 square feet of administrative space, feature low-VOC adhesives, sealants, paints and carpeting to enhance air quality.

As part of the commission’s effort to eliminate ground contamination on the 25-acre park site, which sits adjacent to a sprawling Navy shipyard, approximately 300,000 tons of soil, much of it heavily laden with pollutants, was removed during the project’s preconstruction phase.

Nationals Park designers in an effort to further mitigate the environmental impact of thousands of fans descending on the ballpark for 80-plus games per season; the facility is situated in close proximity to an existing public transportation network with nearby metro stations and bus routes. Offering 1,225 car and 30 bus parking spaces, the stadium will provide onsite garaged parking for fuel-efficient vehicles and carpools reducing even further the stadiums carbon foot print.

“In the end, we were able to create a ballpark that not only preserves our precious environment, but it also preserves the history and traditions of baseball in the nation’s capital,” said Stan Kasten, Team President of the Washington Nationals. “The whole design team went above and beyond the call by achieving LEED Silver Certification – it’s like we asked them for a home run and we got a grand slam.”

For more information on the new Washington Nationals Park, visit their website at www.nationals.com or for more information on the MWMA Fall Summit visit usmayors.org/uscm/mwma.