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LOS ANGELES BOARD OF AIRPORT COMMISSIONERS ADOPT SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION POLICIES TO ENSURE GREENER FUTURES AT LAX AND VAN NUYS

07 Sep 2017 08: 00


LOS ANGELES BOARD OF AIRPORT COMMISSIONERS ADOPT SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION POLICIES TO ENSURE GREENER FUTURES AT LAX AND VAN NUYS

(Los Angeles, California – September 7, 2017)Today, the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners (BOAC) approved the adoption of two new policies that reaffirm Los Angeles World Airports’ (LAWA) commitment to environmental sustainability. The first newly adopted policy is a Sustainable Design and Construction Policy for eligible construction projects at Los Angeles International (LAX) and Van Nuys general aviation (VNY) airports. The Policy enhances LAWA’s existing environmentally-conscious policies by requiring applicable new building construction and renovation projects be designed to achieve the United States Green Building Council’s (USGBC)


Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification or higher. The second new policy is a new set of LAX-developed Sustainable Design and Construction Requirements, which apply sustainability requirements to airport-related construction projects that are not traditionally eligible for LEED certification (non-building projects).

“As we embark on our multi-billion dollar capital improvement program at LAX, we want to ensure our modernization efforts reflect the most forward thinking environmental policies,” said LAWA Deputy Executive Director for Environmental Programs, Samantha Bricker. “The Sustainable Design and Construction Policy and Requirements will ensure that LAX construction continues to be environmentally friendly by incorporating design and reuse elements common to LEED-Certified structures.And because these policies apply to construction campus wide, LAX guests will enjoy sustainably-built buildings and infrastructure throughout the airport, no matter what terminal or concourse they visit.”

Under the Sustainable Design and Construction Policy, eligible tenant building projects, from airline-led terminal renovations to the building of new terminals will be required to be designed and built to achieve at least LEED Silver certification.Structures that will be built under this policy will join the many existing LEED-certified LAWA facilities, including the new Tom Bradley International Terminal (LEED Silver), the new Central Utility Plant (LEED Gold), and the Star Alliance Lounge at TBIT (LEED Gold).LAX’s forthcoming Midfield Satellite Concourse, which is currently under construction and set to open in late 2019, was designed to achieve at least LEED Silver certification.

Because LEED standards do not apply to most of LAX’s “non-building projects,” which include runways, taxiways, and roadway improvements, LAWA’s Environmental Programs Group created its own Sustainable Design and Construction Requirements for these projects.The Sustainable Design and Construction Requirements incorporate concepts from a variety of environmental certification programs, including the LEED system, the Los Angeles Green Building Code, and others. The Sustainable Design and Construction Requirements includes considerations for integrative design, energy efficiency, renewable energy, water conservation, material conservation, and environmental quality as part of any applicable non-building project.Provisions include the use of the best-available emission control devices on diesel-fueled construction equipment, and mandating the use of pervious pavement to reduce stormwater runoff.

These Sustainable Design and Construction policies join a number of environmental initiatives at LAWA, including LAX’s Clean Construction Program, which has reused hundreds of thousands of tons of old pavement in taxiway and runway construction.This program also recycled more than 83 percent of debris from the construction of the new Tom Bradley International Terminal, and more than 94 percent of debris from the construction of the new Central Utility Plant.

About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

LAX is the fourth busiest airport in the world, second in the United States, and was named one of Skytrax’ 2017 Top 10 Most Improved Airports. LAX served more than 80.9 million passengers in 2016. LAX offers 737 daily nonstop flights to 100 cities in the U.S. and 1,386 weekly nonstop flights to 88 cities in 44 countries on 73 commercial air carriers. LAX ranks 14th in the world and fifth in the U.S. in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.2 million tons of air cargo valued at over $101.4 billion. LAX handled 697,138 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2016.

An economic study based on 2014 operations reported LAX generated 620,600 jobs in Southern California with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX’s ongoing capital-improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion, $966 million in state and local taxes, and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.

LAX is also the second most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram according to wego.com. LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.

For more information about LAX,

As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.

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