AUSTIN, Tex. – The Palmer Events Center has been awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and an international symbol of excellence. Through design, construction, and operations practices which improve environmental and human health, LEED-certified buildings help to make the world more sustainable.
Previously earning a Silver certification, the building’s green activities has earned Gold certification by achieving positive outcomes for energy performance, efficient energy operations, water use reduction, responsible materials selection and waste management, and enhanced indoor environmental quality.
“We are extremely proud to be recognized as a Gold level LEED-certified project at the Palmer Events Center (PEC),” said Austin Convention Center Department interim director Trisha Tatro. “This reflects our staffs hard work and commitment to our environmental programs and whole-building approach. This is proof that PEC is going above and beyond to ensure the space is operated to the highest level of sustainability.”
At a maximum of every three years, a building must recertify its LEED rating by scoring and achieving sustainability performance marks in categories such as energy, water, waste, transportation, and human experience.
According to USGBC, LEED buildings are linked to improved productivity, health, and wellness as well as a space which provides clean and high-quality indoor air for employees and occupants. One hundred percent of the electrical power to the Palmer Events Center and the Austin Convention Center is supplied by Austin Energy’s GreenChoice program, generated by wind turbines.
Thirty-five percent of all waste generated at the Palmer Events Center is diverted from landfills through the building’s comprehensive recycling, reuse and composting program.
The Palmer Events Center offers two column-free exhibit halls, equaling 70,000 square feet and 50,000 square feet of covered outdoor canopies.
The venue, with an adjacent four-story, 1,200-space parking garage and is within a three-mile radius of 11,000 hotel rooms in downtown Austin. The Palmer Events Center is one of two convention and meeting facilities operated by the Austin Convention Center Department.
