Logan's Terminal A goes green
First such facility in US to be certified as environmentally friendly
The windows reflect heat to trap warmer temperatures inside when it's cold and keep heat out in the summer, reducing power usage. The interior lights dim when natural light shines from the outside, and the urinals are waterless. There's drip irrigation for landscaping and storm water filtration to remove pollutants from rain runoff.
Such things are rare at airports. But for those and other environmentally friendly measures, Terminal A at Boston Logan International Airport has become the first airport terminal in the country to win certification for its green technology.
The terminal, which opened to
``We want to be responsible to the environment and our neighbors and minimize the environmental impact," said Sam Sleiman, director of capital programs and environmental affairs at Massport.
The technology will save Terminal A almost $300,000 in electric bills and 1.7 million gallons of water a year, officials said. Massport, Delta Air Lines, and Hellmuth, Obata, and Kassabaum, an international design firm, designed the 686,000-square-foot terminal to maximize the use of green technology, using some recycled and sustainable materials for construction.
The US Green Building Council began its four-level LEED rating system in 2000 as a way to define green construction, awarding points for measures that reduce a building's impact on the environment. Buildings can earn up to 69 points under the system; 26 points earn certification.
The LEED system was created initially to measure the environmental friendliness of commercial and high-rise residential buildings, so Terminal A's designers and builders had to work with the Green Building Council to find ways to earn points.
``When you are one of those projects that doesn't fit neatly into the LEED mold, the onus is on the design team to come up with alternate criteria," said Andrew Zumwalt-Hathaway, a design consultant for the $400 million project. ``That can be a bit daunting."
Over the years, Massport has implemented a string of environmental systems around the state at sites, including Tobin Memorial Bridge and Conley Terminal at South Boston, based on an international standard.
Across the country, 550 projects have been LEED certified. ``Now we're seeing a lot of buildings that we wouldn't have expected to go for LEED, like airports, hospitals, day-cares, schools," said Taryn Holowka, communications manager at the US Green Building Council.
Russell Nichols can be reached at rnichols@globe.com. 
© Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.
