WI Sports Center: New Arena Will Be ‘Smart, Connected & Sustainable’

Environmental LeaderBy Jennifer Hermes

The Milwaukee Bucks’ new Wisconsin Entertainment & Sports Center is being built with an eye to reducing the arena’s footprint, ensuring energy efficiency, and furthering sustainability. The Bucks have contracted with Johnson Controls to create the arena as a “smart building” that the organization says will be “the gold standard for a sports and entertainment facility.”Johnson Controls – along with Mortenson Construction, ICON Venue Group and other subcontractors – will install smart building solutions that will be managed on a unified, intelligent infrastructure including HVAC, building automation, security, lighting, fire protection and information technology.The Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center is a $524 million project, according to Sports Techie.By incorporating technologies that lead to a more sustainable building, venues are reaping incredible savings in recent years. The Orlando Magic’s Amway Center, for example, saved almost $1 million a year, including about $700,000 in annual energy costs alone, because of LEED green building certification, according to a US Green Building Council (USGBC) report.The Amway Center was the first NBA arena to earn LEED Gold certification using the LEED Building Design + Construction: New Construction rating system. The USGBC report says venues that incorporate LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) into their buildings increase cost-savings, decrease annual operating costs and see a higher return on investment overall.Last month, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Atlanta Falcon’s new home, said it is “on target” to achieve LEED Platinum certification.Read the story here.