The $400-million Terminal A at Boston Logan International Airport received LEED "Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design" Certification for Environmental Sustainability by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), according to the owner, Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport). Terminal A, constructed between 2002 and March 2005, is the first airport terminal in the United States to be awarded LEED Certification.
Designed by architects HOK and built by Skanska's Boston, Mass., office, Terminal A is the cornerstone of Massport's $4-billion Logan Modernization Program, which includes an expanded central parking facility, streamlined roadway connections, elevated walkways connecting the terminals and parking facilities, and an expanded and modernized international terminal. Delta Airlines and Massport cooperated in planning the layout of the terminal, which incorporates design features that maximize green technology, including the use of recyclable materials, natural lighting, energy conservation, and alternative fuel utilization while helping to reduce operating costs, according to Thomas J. Kinton Jr., a 30-year Massport veteran recently named as executive director and chief executive officer.
Terminal A opened to customers of Delta Air Lines, America's fastest growing international airline, in March 2005.
Its recent LEED Certification was based on a number of green design and construction features that positively impact the airport and the broader community. Among the design and construction features: more than 75 percent of construction and demolition waste was reused, recycled or otherwise diverted from area landfills; more than 10 percent of building materials came from recycled materials; and special measures were taken during construction to control construction contaminates from adversely affecting indoor air quality. Other energy and environmental design features that USGBC cited were: special storm water filtration devices to remove total suspended solids and total phosphorous from site runoff; roofing membrane and paving to reflect heat from the building; drip irrigation instead of spray head to reduce the amount of irrigation water; and extensive use of controls which automatically dim lights when ample natural light is available.
The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) operates Boston Logan International Airport, the Port of Boston, Tobin Memorial Bridge, Hanscom Field, and Worcester Regional Airport. The financially self-sustaining public authority's transportation facilities generate more than $8 billion a year.
