Savannah International Trade and Convention Center earns LEED Gold certification

The Savannah International Trade and Convention Center (SITCC) on Hutchinson Island, Georgia, has been awarded the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Existing Buildings Gold certification, making it the first convention center in Georgia to obtain this certification. Following in the footsteps of its sister site in Atlanta, the Georgia World Congress Center that was LEED certified in 2014, both convention centers managed by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA).

Over the course of nine months, the SITCC team, along with sustainability consultants and engineers from Sustainable Investment Group (SIG), Atlanta, focused on sustainable policy implementation, an American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Level I Energy Audit and various upgrades achieving a 77 Energy Star equivalent score, earning the building 60 points for LEED for Existing Buildings Gold certification.

“We are all very proud of our team and this accomplishment in our first application for LEED certification. We will take the things we learned through the process and continue to improve our operations further,” says Sherrie Spinks, general manager, SITCC.

The LEED certification comes three years after the GWCCA began management of the property. “Convention centers sometimes have difficulty comparing operational efficiencies due to the unique nature of the industry–from event frequency to size or type,” says Tim Trefzer, LEED accredited professional and sustainability manager at GWCCA. “The LEED rating system provided us with a baseline for sustainable operations and maintenance, and we at GWCCA and the on-site team in Savannah are ecstatic to have met the stringent environmental criteria of a LEED Gold building.”

During the project’s performance period, sustainability statistics at SITCC include:

• 81 percent of debris generated during replacement project being diverted from landfill and recycled;
• 99 of materials purchased for recent carpet and ceiling tile replacement meeting sustainability criteria of recycled content and low-chemical materials
• 41 percent of building occupants using alternative commuting options;
• 32 percent water use reduction;
• an Energy Star equivalent score of 77;
• 100 percent of energy usage for 2017 and 2018 being offset by renewable energy certificates through wind power offsets;
• 94 percent of janitorial cleaning and paper products purchased meeting sustainable criteria; and
• an average mercury content of lamps in the building is 84.25 picograms per lumen hour.