MILWAUKEE — The Baird Center recently completed a $456 million expansion and renovation back in May, increasing the convention center's footprint to 1.3 million square feet. Now its infrastructure from that expansion is gaining national recognition for its environmentally friendly design.
The center has earned a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification, a prestigious award given to building projects that meet rigorous standards for sustainability and environmental performance.
Watch: Take a look at the Baird Center's eco-friendly renovations:
Now, the Baird Center joins the ranks of only a few convention centers across the country to receive this distinction.
Marty Brooks, the CEO and President of the Wisconsin Center District, said that when designing the expansion, they were intentional about incorporating environmentally friendly elements.
"We wanted to be thoughtful and have as little impact on the environment as possible, and then from a marketing and sales standpoint, a lot of events are very concerned about the environmental impact they have. They want to make sure that compostable products are being offered for their food events, and the food can be repurposed. Then it helps us attract events that are specifically looking to make sure they are conscientious about the environment," said Brooks.
Some of the new additions include a new solar roof, a stormwater detention system, and a food digester that prevents 438 tons of food waste from entering landfills each year.
During the expansion, they used 90 percent recycled steel and reclaimed urban wood sourced from within 50 miles of Milwaukee.
They even took bird flight patterns into account by installing specific bird-friendly glass in critical areas.
"It prevents the birds from flying into the building and causing harm, if not death, to them," said Brooks.
Here are some of the upgrades:
- Solar roof: avoids the consumption of 98,130 kilowatt-hours.
- Stormwater detention system: the 320,000-gallon system helps prevent flooding.
- Bird-friendly glass: reduces bird collisions and supports biodiversity.
- ORCA food digester: can divert 438 tons of food waste per year from landfills.
- Recycled steel: 90% of the total 6,000 tons of steel used in construction was recycled.
- Reclaimed urban wood: repurposes wood that would have gone to landfills.
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