How Levi’s Stadium Already Won the Big Game
It’s that time of year. When we all gather together in living rooms across America, armed with chips, salsa and all the beer we can fit in the fridge. The Big Game is upon us. On February 7, the Denver Broncos will face off with the Carolina Panthers in what is sure to be a grueling fight to the finish, and we here at Point To Point are just as excited as anyone.
Now, last year we put on our geeky research hats and made a prediction that if the Patriots won, about 111,886 people will build new homes in the Northeast in 2015. Were we right? Who knows…but we had fun crunching the numbers. That’s the most important part, right?!
Anyway, this year, the game will be played about forty miles south of San Francisco, in the heart of Silicon Valley. And thankfully for us in the building products industry, it’s not just the game that will be the focus of a lot of attention. Levi’s Stadium itself is also slotted to be in the spotlight as the first sports complex in U.S. history to achieve LEED Gold Certification.
Designed and built with both the environment and the fan experience in mind, its creators are making a statement about the importance of sustainability in the building industry that will be heard by more than 114 million people, so there is great potential for it to impact your business.
A couple of the stadium’s more notable environmental considerations include easy access to mass transit and electrical vehicle chargers. Santa Clara offers easy access via mass transit or bicycle and the city has installed six chargers in the Great American parking lot that can accommodate up to 12 electric vehicles at one time, for those who choose to drive to the game.
Levi’s Stadium also features three solar bridges with more than 1,150 solar panels, a 27,000 foot green roof and a landscaping irrigation system that largely relies on the stadium’s water reclamation system.
For all you foodies out there, Levi’s Stadium’s gourmet food dishes are locally grown with farm-to-table options that you can even have delivered to your seat via the Levi’s Stadium App.
From the discerning perspective of the building products supplier, perhaps the most interesting thing about the stadium is the woodwork and paneling in the Citrix Owners’ suites. This exclusive area features reclaimed wood from an airplane hangar that once stood at Moffet Federal Airfield between Sunnyvale and Mountain View, California.
So why should you care?
There is a good amount of business sensibility that comes with using your products to make a statement about the importance of sustainability. A recent study conducted by the World Green Building Trends Organization shows that 51 percent of global firms are committed to incorporating sustainability into more than 60 percent of their projects in 2015-2016.
As a building products marketing agency, we know that appealing to that 51 percent can mean positive change for your business. The Green trend is projected to contribute $29.8 billion to the U.S. GDP by 2018. That’s a lot of VOC-free paint, energy-efficient windows and insulation!
Additionally, millions of dollars in energy, water and maintenance savings can be generated from sustainable constructions, making the purchase of LEED-certified products upfront a sound investment. And, with construction spending now at a seven-year high, this is an optimal time to begin introducing your architect, builder and contractor customers to sustainable products and their associated benefits.
The more able you are to answer increasing interest and questions about LEED certification and provide the required materials to your architect, builder and contractor customers, the more easily the sustainability trend can be capitalized upon.
We know that if you remain prepared to educate your customers on the benefits of LEED certification and the sustainable aspects of your building products, it could be you who is the big winner this year.