FOR LIFE
From innovative planning and design, to conscious
construction and operation, today’s sports venues
are redefining what it really means to be sustainable
W hen sustainability expert Dirk
Kestner began work as an engineer
nearly two decades ago, few people
in the field of sports stadium
projects spoke about “embodied
carbon” at the design phase. But attitudes have
changed remarkably quickly. Kestner, the director of
sustainable design at Walter P Moore engineers, says
awareness of climate change has driven sustainability
concepts such as embodied carbon – the calculated
carbon footprint of building materials – right to the
top of the agenda.
“The design community has recognized there’s an
urgency to make reductions in greenhouse gases by
2030,” he explains. “Even if a new building will be
operational for 50 years, we must consider the
SUSTAINABILITY
importance of near-term impacts, so we apply the
concept of life cycle assessment, which is essentially
carbon footprinting for buildings. We have to
consider the impact of extracting and manufacturing
materials, and these are even before the impact of
fans. It can be everything from how the concrete is
made, to the size of a roof, or the choice of lighterweight
membrane roof materials. There’s also
renewed interest in timber construction for its
sequestration benefits.”
Kestner advises Walter P Moore engineering
projects with a focus on sustainable design, which
is a growing number of sports stadia today. One
successful project he has worked on is the University
of North Texas’ Apogee Stadium, which in 2011
became the first newly built collegiate football
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