Golden 1 Centre, the new home of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings basketball team, has been awarded a LEED Platinum certificate – the highest level of global recognition for environmentally conscious buildings and organisations.

The venue is the first indoor sports arena to be given the accolade.
Designed by AECOM, the venue is powered entirely by solar energy and was commended by the United States Green Building Council for boasting a “number of resource conservation solutions, a high level of transportation planning and a dedication to green design”.

Vivek Ranadivé, the owner of the Sacramento Kings franchise, said: “Businesses, including large sports franchises, have a core responsibility to help facilitate the world’s clean energy transition so that we can better protect the health and environment of future generations.
“Our hope in creating Golden 1 Centre was to help drive meaningful change in our community – which includes working to curb climate change and promote renewable energy.”

To achieve the highest LEED certification, projects must earn more than 80 points on a scale that evaluates energy management, water efficiency, environmental quality, transportation, materials utilised and more.