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July 27, 2009, 01:00 PM ET
Bowdoin's New Ice Arena Wins LEED Certification — but It's the Zamboni You'll Notice
 The Sidney J. Watson Arena uses 17 percent less power than a conventional ice arena would. (Bowdoin College photos) |
Despite all the refrigeration equipment needed to cover its floor with a 90-by-200-foot sheet of ice, Bowdoin College's new Sidney J. Watson Arena has earned LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, becoming the first LEED-certified new ice arena in the U.S.
The $20-million, 70,520-square-foot facility takes advantage of energy-saving technology that uses 17 percent less energy than would a conventional ice arena, according to Bowdoin officials. The arena won LEED points for a number of other features as well. A stormwater-management system collects rainwater and directs it to the local aquifer. Low-flow showers, faucets, toilets, and urinals are expected to use 38 percent less water than typical fixtures. Preferred parking spaces are reserved for low-emissions vehicles, and the landscaping requires no irrigation.
In addition, 30 percent of the building materials have recycled content, while 40 percent came from within 500 miles of the campus. Over 80 percent of construction waste was recycled. The new building, which seats 1,900, was designed by the Bear Mountain Design Architects Collaborative.
 The college put its 1956 Zamboni 400 Model F on display in the new building. |
The Watson Arena replaces the college's 1956 Dayton Arena, which was determined to be "beyond repair," the college says. But the earlier building is remembered in the new facility by the 1956 Zamboni Ice Re-Surfacer 400 Model F that the college acquired when the Dayton Arena opened. The early Zamboni, which was known as "The Monster" and was only the fifth owned by a college, was used until the 1980s and then stored. It rests on a display pedestal in the entry to the new facility.
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