LEED-Certified Nationals Park Opens

Completed in time for its recent opening day game, the new 41,000-plus seat Nationals Park is the first U.S. stadium to achieve environmental certification by the U.S. Green Building Council under its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.To earn its LEED Silver rating, the Washington Nationals' ballpark features numerous environmentally friendly elements, including high-efficiency lighting, low-emitting finishes, highly recycled materials and low-flow plumbing fixtures.A 6,300-sq-ft green roof covered with plants is located above a concession area beyond left field to help absorb rainwater and reduce runoff to the nearby Anacostia River.Nationals Park also has an intricate groundwater and storm water filtration system. Given the stadium's proximity to the Anacostia, the architecture and engineering team took great care to design systems that treat both groundwater and storm water runoff.The ballpark's filtration system separates water used for cleaning from rainwater and treats both sources before releasing water to sanitary and storm water systems.