The Pit, the home of the New Mexico Lobos college basketball team, has been officially recognised by the US Green Building Council for its environmentally friendly features.
Originally opened in 1966, the 15,500-capacity venue at the University of New Mexico – also known as the WisePies Arena – underwent major renovation work in 2010 to upgrade facilities on-site.
According to the Daily Mail newspaper, since work was completed, water savings at The Pit are up by almost 50 per cent, with energy savings calculated at more than 20 per cent.
In addition, as much of the existing building was preserved, construction waste during the project was limited and many materials were recycled.
As a result, the Albuquerque venue has been added to the Green Building Council’s ‘Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design’ programme. The organisation has estimated that sites featured in the programme are able to save over $2bn (€1.9bn/£1.6bn) in combined energy, water and maintenance savings over a three-year period.
John Pate of MolzenCorbin, the architecture firm that oversaw work during the renovation project, said: “Saving the building from demolition while preserving its cherished atmosphere set up conditions to accomplish the most sustainable of design and construction efforts: Reimagining an exciting sports venue, reusing all that was good and integrating new, sustainable technologies.”
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