New arena's green design standards earn praise

9/16/2010

The Huntington Center has been certified LEED Gold to recognize that the arena has adhered to green guidelines from design through construction and operation.

A LEED Gold plaque will be unveiled by the Lucas County commissioners at 2:30 p.m. Thurday at the arena during a news conference.

"We were incorporating green design principles from the start," said Ray Micham, an architect and partner at The Collaborative, the local partner to the arena design firm, HNTB of Kansas City.

"It's a prestigious recognition," he said.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold is the second-highest certification conferred by the U.S. Green Building Council.

"As the newest member of the LEED family of green buildings, the Huntington Center is an important addition to the growing strength of the green-building movement," Rick Fedrizzi, president, chief executive, and founding chair of the building council, said in a statement.

The 8,000-seat, $98.1 million county-owned arena opened in October, 2009.