FORT WORTH, Texas
The Fort Worth Convention Center (FWCC) was recently awarded Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) Certified Level status by the U.S. Green Building Council.
LEED is a voluntary program that demonstrates the city’s continued commitment to environmental stewardship, economic vitality and social responsibility. To achieve any level of LEED certification, a facility must complete a rigorous self-assessment based on prerequisites established by the U.S. Green Building Council, and implement the necessary upgrades.
"We are making the building as efficient as possible not only to conserve resources and be more efficient, but because it’s the right thing to do for our environment and city," said Mayor Betsy Price. "This is an important milestone for our Convention Center. It shows our commitment to continuous improvement to staying competitive for convention business. We’ve received great feedback, and attendees of some of our large meetings let us know these positive changes make Fort Worth even more appealing as a destination. That’s great news for all of us."
The LEED certification process took over two years of dedicated work including water reduction measures, waste diversion, implementing a green cleaning policy, adding high-efficiency lighting, environmentally friendly pest management and energy conservation by city staff and external consultants. Under an Energy Savings Performance Contract funded by a federal stimulus grant, the Public Events, Transportation and Public Works departments worked closely with Johnson Controls, Inc. and Quest Recycling Services, LLC to achieve this sustainability initiative.
"We are very happy with the outcome of this project and the improvements we were able to make to our facility," said Kirk Slaughter, Director of Public Events for the City of Fort Worth. "Our convention attendees will see new recycling containers in addition to high efficiency lighting and water reduction fixtures when they experience the Convention Center, but the majority of the work was in systems and operations that elevate our ability to manage our business efficiently. We are very excited about this leap forward."
The Fort Worth Convention Center includes a 28,160-square-foot ballroom, a 13,000-seat arena, a 250,000-square-foot exhibit hall and 41 breakouts; it can host a variety of events and is set in the heart of downtown and surrounded by a variety of hotels, restaurants and nightlife.
