The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is a certification process for sustainable facilities. To achieve LEED Gold certification, a project must successfully address specific design strategies including sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials and resources and indoor air quality. As an early adopter and leader in engineering, architectural, and environmental factors associated with designing and constructing sustainable facilities, Georgia Tech is also the home of the 2nd LEED certified building in Georgia, and the 13th LEED certified building in the United States.

Designed by Rosser International, Inc., Mewborn Field is an NCAA women’s softball facility capable of hosting Regional and Super Regional tournaments like the Atlanta Super Regional tournament. The Lady Jackets hosted this tournament at Mewborn Field its first year in use. The stadium’s numerous sustainable features include:

• Preferred parking for low emitting and fuel efficient vehicles
• High reflectance concrete hardscape to minimize heat island index
• A cistern specifically designed and engineered to capture enough rainwater to irrigate the field for three weeks, eliminating the need for municipally supplied water for irrigation
• Provisions to have all rainwater collected and harvested
• High-efficiency plumbing fixtures that reduce water consumption by 40%
• A pre-manufactured press box designed to meet LEED requirements (glass, insulation, lighting, conditioning system)
• Energy efficient lighting, insulated glazing and high efficiency air conditioning
• 96.2 percent recycled construction waste
• Use of local materials extracted and processed within 500 miles of the project
• Use of building materials containing recycled content
• Paints, coatings and adhesives with low-emitting gases
• Access to natural light and a direct line of sight to the outdoors

Barton Malow’s Atlanta office built the stadium and ensured LEED materials and processes were incorporated throughout the project.

Georgia Tech’s Gary Petherick, project manager for Mewborn Field, said, “Georgia Tech is extremely proud of this achievement. We are grateful for the efforts and commitment to sustainable design and construction practices demonstrated by our team members Barton Malow and Rosser.”

Tech’s Design and Construction Standards for buildings exceed California Energy Code 2005 by 20 percent and Georgia’s Energy Code by 40 percent. Tech’s water criteria meets California’s water conservation code and exceeds Georgia’s Code. Georgia Tech incorporates standards from many professional organizations such as ASHRAE, LEED, APPA, and EnergyStar for its high performance, sustainable infrastructure. Georgia Tech is also a signatory of the President’s Climate Commitment, which further advances the Institute’s commitment to a campus-wide sustainable culture.