Denver International Airport (DEN) announces that the B-West expansion, which included the opening of four new gates in November 2020, has earned Gold certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. This will be the fifth building at DEN with a LEED certification, underscoring the airport’s long-term commitment to sustainability. DEN and the project team worked together to ensure that this new area would be an example of DEN’s focus on progressive design, passenger-focused amenities, and sustainable construction.
“One of the guiding principles of our Vision 100 plan is to reduce environmental impacts and become one of the most sustainable airports in the world as we grow to 100 million passengers annually,” said DEN CEO Phil Washington. “The B-West Expansion project is an early example of that commitment – a beautiful facility that utilizes sustainable technologies to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs while providing more room for our airlines to grow and improved amenities for our passengers.”
The LEED gold project features an advanced energy-efficient design that is projected to use about 20% less energy than a typical building through factors including:
• 40% interior lighting reduction
• Reduced exterior lighting
• Energy recovery of exhaust air and outdoor air
• Offices fitted with occupancy sensors to reduce electricity use on overhead lighting
• DEN’s first rooftop solar photovoltaic array
• Glass technology to reduce solar heat gain and subsequent cooling required in the building
Additionally, the project recycled more than 90% of all waste generated onsite. Most of this recycled material comes from concrete that was ground down and re-used as backfill on the project and other projects at the airport and throughout the Denver region. Over 20% of materials installed on the new concourse expansion area are made from recycled material. Water efficiency was also taken into consideration for this project. The indoor water demand has been reduced by 45% using high efficiency plumbing fixtures including more efficient toilets and faucets.
B-West was the first of four gate expansion areas to open and is part of the Gate Expansion Project, which added a total of 39 new gates across all three concourses. Through the project, DEN will increase gate capacity by 30% to accommodate ongoing airline growth. The remain gates on A-east, B-east and C-west will open in 2022 with the goal of reaching LEED Gold certificate for all three areas.
