The United States Green Building Council has awarded the University of North Texas’ Apogee Stadium, designed by HKS Architects and built by Manhattan Construction Company, a LEED Platinum Certification, making it the first newly constructed collegiate football stadium in the nation to achieve the highest level of LEED certification.

The 31,000-seat Apogee Stadium features luxury suites, an amenity-filled club level, a Spirit Store, a corporate deck and a unique end-zone seating area. In addition to hosting UNT events, it will serve the entire North Texas region as a venue for outdoor concerts, community events, high school games and band competitions. More project information after the break.

Sustainable Design Highlights:

Enhancing the Site and its Surroundings:

- More than 50 percent of the stadium site is preserved or restored with landscaping that is native to the North Texas climate.
- The natural, park-like setting allows the community to enjoy the venue year-round. Permeable pavers, combined with the native, landscaped site, reduce stormwater runoff and minimize the heat-island effect.
- Campus bus stops, secured bicycle storage and preferred parking spaces for carpooling were provided to promote use of the stadium by alternative means of transportation. Paved walkways and bike paths through the park-like environment connect back to the main campus, encouraging fans to walk or bike to any stadium event.

Reducing Water and Energy Consumption:

- It is estimated the three wind turbines will provide approximately 500,000 kilowatt hours per year for the UNT Eagle Point power grid, effectively eliminating 323 metric tons of CO2 from being emitted annually into the atmosphere. A web-based monitoring system will provide details on energy production, carbon reduction statistics and empirical data that can be used for both educational and research purposes at UNT.
- The high-performance stadium design uses energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning and lighting equipment, reducing energy consumption by 25 percent.
- Low-flow plumbing fixtures – such as sinks, toilets, urinals and showers – will reduce water consumption by more than 52 percent.

Promoting Sustainable and Recycled Materials:

- Seventy-five percent of construction waste materials were recycled by the stadium’s contractor rather than being dumped in a landfill.
- Of the products and materials used in the construction of the stadium, 20 percent were made with recycled content and more than 47 percent were manufactured locally.
- To further reduce CO2 emissions, higher percentages of fly ash were substituted for cement to construct the concrete portions of the project.

Improving Indoor Environmental Quality:

- Low-volatile organic compound-emitting materials such as adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings and flooring were used to improve the indoor air quality for the building occupants.
- Ninety percent of regularly occupied indoor spaces provides occupants with natural daylight and views to the outdoors.
- UNT implemented green policies and procedures for stadium operations and maintenance.

The project team included: HKS Sports & Entertainment Group, architect; HKS DesignGreen, LEED consultant; Manhattan Construction Company, construction manager; HKS Commercial Interiors, interior design; Smith Seckman Reid, mechanical engineer; Aguirre Roden, electrical engineer; Jaster-Quintanilla, civil engineer; Rogers Moore Engineering/Walter P Moore, structural engineers; Caye Cook & Associates, landscape architect; and Henneman Engineering, commissioning agent.