When it came to designing the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems at Allianz Field, a chief concern was efficiency and getting the most out of every BTU and kilowatt consumed. By employing multiple energy-saving measures, the stadium’s architect Populous could minimize the environmental impact of the stadium.

One of the biggest parts of the system are energy recovery or thermal wheels in the air-side systems. These wheels trap waste heat energy on its way out of the building in a honeycomb matrix of heat-absorbing material and then reintroduce the heat into the fresh air stream coming into the building. This means less energy is used heating (or cooling) air coming into the building and then whatever energy is used for tempering the air is re-captured on its way out of the building.

Allianz Field’s boiler plant uses ultra high efficiency condensing boilers that are integrated with the system that heats the field in order to make the process as effective and efficient as possible, while nearly all lighting — including the field lighting — is done with LED fixtures.

In addition to the focus on energy efficiency, water use at Allianz Field was focused on reducing consumption. Low flow fixtures were used throughout the stadium, including 1.28 gpf water closets, 0.125 gpf urinals, 0.5 gpm lavatories and 1.5 gpm showerheads. This is in addition to the focus on capturing and re-using rainwater in the irrigation of the Great Lawn and the greenspace around the stadium.

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