(MINNEAPOLIS) – The Minneapolis office of Hines, the international real estate firm, announced today that TCF Bank Stadium has been certified LEED® Silver in the U.S. Green Building Council’s New Construction rating system.
It is the first football stadium to earn the green designation.
Designed by the architecture firm Populous, the 50,805-seat stadium was developed on a brownfield site atop a former rail yard by Hines for the University of Minnesota.
The stadium was named TCF Bank Stadium after a $35 million, 25-year naming sponsorship by TCF Bank, which is headquartered in the Twin Cities.
Based on the university’s strong environmental position and commitment to sustainable principles, Hines worked with Populous and the project team to create a holistic design that blends well with the surrounding environment and other university buildings.
Green features and programs include: a reflective roof to reduce heat island effect; a 50 percent reduction in the use of potable water for landscape irrigation; a 30 percent reduction in indoor potable water use; a comprehensive waste diversion program; and the use of low-emitting materials, adhesives, paints and sealants.
In addition, more than 98 percent of construction waste was diverted from the landfill back into the manufacturing cycle.
Some of the most inventive green features for a project of this magnitude deal with stormwater management and filtration. As part of a 75-acre campus stormwater system, the stadium diverts runoff beneath a grass plaza on the south side of the stadium into an innovative water management and filtration system.
Using pervious sidewalk paving, vegetative bioswales, sand filters and a large rate control pond, rainwater enters the Mississippi River as clean as it was when it fell from the sky.
Hines Senior Vice President Bill Chopp said, “The LEED certification of this complex development signals to the real estate community that any type of project of any size can be executed in an environmentally and economically responsible way.
Hines applauds the University of Minnesota for leading by example.”
"TCF Bank Stadium is an historic project for the University of Minnesota and it was important to us to do it right," said President Robert Bruininks. "This designation, in particular, underscores the commitment of the Board of Regents and the leadership of the university to principles of sustainability, energy conservation and responsible stewardship of our environment and our resources."
Hines is one of the most sustainable real estate companies in the world.
In 2009 Hines was recognized by the EPA, for the second time, with the ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award; Hines has labelled more than 138 buildings, representing approximately 76 million square feet, in the ENERGY STAR program.
Twelve Hines development or redevelopment projects, representing more than six million square feet, have been designated as Designed to the Earn the ENERGY STAR.
In aggregate, Hines’ projects represent approximately 20 percent of the Designed to the Earn the ENERGY STAR program, as measured by square footage.
Hines is also a leader in the U.S. Green Building Council’s programs, with 146 projects, representing approximately 89 million square feet that have been certified, pre-certified or registered under the various LEED rating systems.
Hines was a founding member of the German Sustainable Building Council and is currently engaged in the creation of a Russia Green Building Council. Hines is also active in the BRE Environmental Assessment Method program in the United Kingdom and the Haute Qualité Environnementale program in France.
Hines is a privately owned real estate firm involved in real estate investment, development and property management worldwide. The firm’s historical and current portfolio of projects that are underway, completed, acquired and managed for third parties includes 1,111 properties representing more than 449 million square feet of office, residential, mixed-use, industrial, hotel, medical and sports facilities, as well as large, master-planned communities and land developments. With offices in more than 100 cities in 17 countries, and controlled assets valued at approximately $22.9 billion, Hines is one of the largest real estate organizations in the world.
Visit www.hines.com for more information.