The Eco-Igloo

By:  Stephanie Benney

When I was a young girl in the eighties and a teenager in the nineties, my favorite pastime was spending quality time with my Dad at the Civic Arena, also known as “The Igloo”, cheering on the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Back in those days, players such as the great Mario Lemieux,  Paul Coffey, Phil Bourque, and Robbie Brown skated the ice and brought the first Stanley Cup home to the ‘Burgh.  Jaromir Jagr was a baby and began his career as a ‘Guin.   Times have changed and names like Sydney Crosby, Alexei Kovalev, Chris Kunitz, and Jordan Staal spew from Mike Lang’s mouth and reverberate off of the walls of a new Igloo.

On Sunday, March 20th 2011, I had the privilege of attending my first Pittsburgh Penguins game with the new “Boys of Winter” lineup in their new house.   Just like so many others, I also had reservations about The Consol Energy Center.  After all, Mellon Arena(formerly Civic Arena) had become such an iconic part of Pittsburgh history and culture, not to mention shaping the Pittsburgh skyline in a unique and unforgettable manner.  I wasn’t so sure The Consol Energy Center was going to be able to fill the huge shoes it had inherited.

In August of 2010, the 735,000 square-foot center became the first NHL sporting center to be certified LEED GOLD by the U.S. Green Building Council.   It earned 42 points, 3 points above the GOLD status minimum.  As I walked into the beautiful center, I smelled the old familiar scent of popcorn and arena nachos, but noticed something else lingering within that nostalgic perfume; it was fresh, light and clean.  I decided to turn this experience into a research opportunity for my next article and got to work observing and questioning the green and sustainable features The Consol Energy Center had to offer.

Finding a place to dispose of your beer bottles and soda cups is not a difficult task to accomplish, as there are over 200 recycling bins inside and outside of the arena.  Enjoy the natural sunlight, courtesy of Alcoa and their 1600 Wall System  curtain wall.  Energy efficiency and conservation are also encouraged by Alcoa’s Trifab® framing and Sun Shade® shades.  The center also features low-flow plumbing fixtures and is able to divert 93.7% of the arena’s waste from landfills.   Other green features include: utilization of coatings and paints with a low emittance of VOC’s(volatile organic compounds), use of recycled building materials, sustainably harvested and processed woods, and a lighting control system.

This amazing green structure was designed and built in collaboration by Astorino architectural firm, Populous, PJ Dick, Hunt Construction and ICON Project Management, which is just another example of “Pittsburgh Hometown Pride” shining through.  I am proud to be living in a city where our companies and sporting teams band together to represent environmental stewardship and care about the betterment of the community – where our colors are black, gold and now GREEN.

Stephanie Benney is a “Sustainable Visionary” and also the new Pittsburgh Representative for Fuzed Marketing, where she helps companies increase their brand presence. stephaniebenney@yahoo.com