Two Energy-Efficient PA Sports Facilities Earn Accolades

Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in State College is the first professional -- and college -- baseball stadium to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the United States Green Building Council for the green techniques used in its construction and operations.

 

The park serves as home field both for the minor-league State College Spikes of the New York-Penn League and for the Pennsylvania State University's Nittany Lions ballclub and was designed by L. Robert Kimball & Associates.

 

Featured in Sports Business Journal's special green issue, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park was ahead of its time in its emphasis on environmental concerns.

 

"The entire country has finally caught onto sustainability, especially with the President's initiative," said Kimball's lead professional on the ballpark project, Senior Vice President/Principal, Sports Architecture, Chris Haupt. "Most universities now have made sustainability their policy for their buildings, and the sports industry is now following suit."

 

Additionally, Kimball's Penn State Recreation Hall Wrestling and Student Fitness Center addition and renovation earned LEED gold certification this month.

 

The 2006 project entailed renovation of the facility's varsity wrestling practice area, varsity athletics weight training and cardio facility, aerobics center, equipment room and locker room. The design created a dedicated wrestling complex, significantly elevating the capabilities and conveniences of Rec Hall and improving its ability to attract wrestling recruits and students in general.

 

 

The 5,500-seat Medlar Field topped a list of 67 facilities eligible for consideration for the Baseball America honor. Those kudos follow the naming of the park as one of America's top ten for collegiate baseball by Yahoo's Rivals.com site. The field also has received a citation for design excellence from American School and University magazine.

 

The field's green credentials included exceeding -- by a great margin -- the standard ratio for undisturbed land to building site, exceeding the required energy-efficiency code by as much as 10 percent, use of recycled materials as well as local materials that reduce the pollution involved in transporting supplies by truck, and other energy-saving measures.

 

 

The Rec Hall project incorporated an energy-efficient glass facade that has become a beacon for campus sports and fitness activities. The triple-glazed, low-e glass, which eliminates the greenhouse effect that might otherwise trap heat, enables the facility to avoid the need for artificial light for most of the day.

 

The glass sheath reduces the heat gain from lighting so that less cooling is required. The LEED certification also gave the project credit for minimal site disturbance, access via public transportation (buses, bicycles and sidewalks), re-use of existing facilities (rehabbing and improving an older building), exceeding the energy-efficiency criteria required by code, use of recycled materials (including recycled rubber in the fitness-area floor), and use of low-flow fixtures for all plumbing.

 

Kimball renovated about 20 percent of the old Rec Hall building, some 26,800 square feet, and added

19,800 square feet of new, energy-efficient space that created a new entrance to guide people to the second-level gymnasium for wrestling and volleyball. The two-story, club-like fitness center is connected with a monumental staircase.

 

"As with Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, Rec Hall was ahead of the curve," said Haupt. "Before these two projects were in their design phase, only one or two college sports facilities had earned LEED certification. In the LEED arena, Kimball is a forerunner."