Atlanta, GA – February 10, 2010 – Shirley Clements Mewborn Field, home of the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Lady Jackets softball team, earned one of the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest honors: LEED for New Construction (LEED NC) Gold certification. It is the first LEED Gold certified sports stadium in the country.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is a certification process for sustainable facilities. To achieve LEED Gold certification, a project must successfully address specific design strategies including sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials and resources and indoor air quality. As an early adopter and leader in engineering, architectural, and environmental factors associated with designing and constructing sustainable facilities, Georgia Tech is also the home of the 2nd LEED certified building in Georgia, and the 13th LEED certified building in the United States.

Designed by Rosser International, Inc., Mewborn Field is an NCAA women’s softball facility capable of hosting Regional and Super Regional tournaments like the Atlanta Super Regional tournament. The Lady Jackets hosted this tournament at Mewborn Field its first year in use. The stadium’s numerous sustainable features include:

• Preferred parking for low emitting and fuel efficient vehicles
• High reflectance concrete hardscape to minimize heat island index
• A cistern specifically designed and engineered to capture enough rainwater to irrigate the field for three weeks, eliminating the need for municipally supplied water for irrigation
• Provisions to have all rainwater collected and harvested
• High efficiency plumbing fixtures that reduce water consumption by 40%
• A pre-manufactured press box designed to meet LEED requirements (glass, insulation, lighting, conditioning system)
• Energy efficient lighting, insulated glazing and high efficiency air conditioning
• 96.2% recycled construction waste
• Use of local materials which were extracted and processed within 500 miles of the project
• Use of building materials containing recycled content
• Paints, coatings and adhesives with low-emitting gases
• Access to natural light and a direct line of sight to the outdoors

Barton Malow’s Atlanta office built the stadium and ensured LEED materials and processes were incorporated throughout the project.

Georgia Tech’s Gary Petherick, project manager for Mewborn Field, said, “Georgia Tech is extremely proud of this achievement. We are grateful for the efforts and commitment to sustainable design and construction practices demonstrated by our team members Barton Malow and Rosser.” Tech’s Design and Construction Standards for buildings exceed California Energy Code 2005 by 20% and Georgia’s Energy Code by 40%. Tech’s water criteria meets California’s water conservation code and exceeds Georgia’s Code. Georgia Tech incorporates standards from many professional organizations such as ASHRAE, LEED, APPA, and EnergyStar for its high performance, sustainable infrastructure. Georgia Tech is also a signatory of the President’s Climate Commitment, which further advances the Institute’s commitment to a campus-wide sustainable culture.

Mewborn Field sets the standard for sustainable design and construction in collegiate sports facilities. The materials and processes incorporated by Rosser and Barton Malow will serve as a benchmark for future green stadium projects.

About Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology is one of the nation's top research universities. Its 400-acre campus sits in the heart of Atlanta. Twenty thousand undergraduate and graduate students are enrolled in this prestigious Institute. Its athletic teams compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). For additional information about Georgia Tech, visit www.gatech.edu. For additional information about Georgia Tech Softball and Mewborn Stadium visit http://ramblinwreck.cstv.com/sports/w-softbl/geot-w-softbl-body.html.

About Rosser International, Inc.
Rosser International, Inc. is an employee-owned corporation providing full-service architecture and engineering services to markets including higher education, sports, justice, corporate offices, aviation and cultural facilities. Their offices are located in the United States and the Middle East. Rosser has LEED Accredited Professionals on staff and incorporates a sustainable philosophy into their daily design practice. They are an industry leader in the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) software to generate design and construction documents, as they did on Mewborn Field. Their client-focused design and reputation for excellence has made them one of the most sought-after design firms in the nation. For additional information, visit http://www.rosser.com.

About Barton Malow Company
Barton Malow Company provides construction management, design-build, program management, general contracting, technology and rigging services throughout North America. The ISO (quality) certified company has LEED Accredited Professionals on staff and is an industry Building Information Modeling (BIM) leader. Niche market specialties include educational, health care, federal, industrial, energy and special event facilities. Barton Malow has a staff of 1,200 in 13 offices and is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan. The Georgia Office is located in Alpharetta, Georgia. Annual firm revenues exceed $1 billion. For additional information, visit www.bartonmalow.com.