The newly renovated and expanded Pennsylvania Convention Center in downtown Philadelphia has been awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority (PCCA) announced last month.
Under construction since 2008, the $787 million annex to the Pennsylvania Convention Center opened in March, increasing the facility's footprint by 62 percent. The expansion — which includes 935,000 square feet of brand-new usable space, including more than 528,000 square feet of new contiguous exhibit space, 23 new meeting rooms, three new exhibit halls and a new 56,000-square-foot ballroom — was built to LEED standards, with an emphasis on energy, water and waste reduction.
"Managing costs and looking for greater efficiencies are all part of our charge to be stewards of the taxpayers' investment in this facility," said PCCA President and CEO Ahmeenah Young, indicating that more convention groups are looking for green facilities at which to host their meetings. "We are excited about the certification."