SUSTAINABILITY ELEMENTS

Sustainable Construction Practices

Environmental Stewardship

Protection of the environment and conservation of natural resources.

Economic Viability

Efficient operations of all facilities, stimulation of local and regional economic growth, and generating economic value through employment and procurement practices.

 

 

This section provides details on LAWA's stewardship of water, energy, and material resources as well as other performance areas related to the design and construction of buildings and infrastructure. These practices conserve resources, reduce traffic impacts, and minimize air quality impacts. Sustainable practices include requirements for contractors to use low-emission equipment and coordinated schedules to eliminate non-essential trips.




Performance Summary

LAX LEED and Sustainable Construction Projects

Our Stories

Southwest Terminal 1 Renovation

This $509.8 million renovation project will enhance the 31-year-old existing terminal by improving the interior, the outdoor aircraft parking ramp area, and the traffic flow around the Central Terminal Area of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

CONSTRUCTION BEGIN: August 2014, COMPLETION DATE: Summer 2018

THE PROJECT INCLUDES:

  • 346,000 Square Feet of Renovated and Upgraded Space
  • 61,000 Square Feet of New Space
  • 13-Gate facility
  • New Enlarged Hold Rooms with Expanded and Integrated Concessions
  • Tier 1 Los Angeles Green Building Code (LAGBC)- Many finishes specified on the project have recycled content including the holdroom carpeting that is made from re-purposed waste nylon from discarded fishing nets.
  • All exterior glazing in the building is being replaced and meets the new Tier 1 LAGBC July 2015 requirements. All the building systems are being modernized including the HVAC systems, Electrical, Gas, Water and waste systems, to meet Tier 1 LAGBC July 2015 requirements

Terminal 4 Connector

This $115 million project consists of the design and construction of a multi-use, multi-level facility providing a secure connection between Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) to Terminal 4. Connecting the two terminals will allow passengers easier access to their destination for those needing to reach a connecting flight, with the added convenience of not having to recheck their baggage.

CONSTRUCTION BEGIN: Early 2014, COMPLETION DATE: September 2016

  • The Terminal 4 Connector project is a Tier 2 Los Angeles Green Building Code (LAGBC building). The new 104,170 Square Foot Bradley West T4 Connector is LAWA's newest addition to the LAX Central Terminal Area and is the City of Los Angeles' first non-residential building certified to LAGBC Tier 2 standards. The building beats the already tough California Title 24 energy use requirements by over 37% by utilizing a number of "green" features, which include:
  • A "Cool Roof" which reflects away almost 80% of the sun's radiant energy making the building much easier to cool;
  • Utilization of LAX's new Central Utility Plant to provide heating and cooling at a much more efficient rate than standalone systems;
  • Use of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights in all public areas, along with high-tech lighting controls that sense daylight and minimize the use of power for artificial lighting;
  • Use of an innovative ventilation system in the Baggage Screening area to take advantage of the local climate conditions to cool baggage equipment;
  • Provision of infrastructure for future use of photovoltaic and other emerging technologies to further reduce energy consumption
  • The use of high efficient motors saves 40% efficiently in power consumption for the baggage system.
  • Along with all the other mandated aspects of LAGBC such as the use of low-VOC paints and finishes in the interior, use of drought-resistant California-native plantings and a construction waste recycling program, the T4 Connector helps set the new standard for efficiency and environmental friendliness at LAX and Los Angeles.

In 2014 the following projects utilized onsite Batch Plant and Crusher material:

  1. WAMA- required approximately 35 acres of 30” thick concrete for the apron and Taxiway C extension
  2. Bradley West East Aprons
  3. Midfield Satellite Concourse
  4. Runway 6L-24R RSA Improvements
  5. Runway 6R-24L RSA Improvements
  6. Runway 7L-25R RSA Improvements

 

Rock Crusher, Batch Plant, Title V Permit

The September 2004 Master Plan Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) recommended that LAWA utilize an on-site rock crushing facility during construction to reuse rock/concrete and minimize off-site truck haul trips. In 2006 LAX projects began to use an onsite crusher and batch plant. Concrete batch plants and concrete/asphalt crushing operations at LAX are required to comply with the conditions of the LAX Title V permit, which is issued and enforced by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). The permit allows LAX and its operators to operate up to two concrete batch plants with associated baghouses and one concrete/asphalt crushing operation. In 2014 LAWA permitted two batch plants and one crusher. Future plans for 2015 include permitting up to five concrete batch plants and five crushers.

These plants are key in helping LAWA meet our commitments for recycling of construction and demolition waste. The onsite batch plant and crusher have also prevented a significant amount of off-site trucking, reducing traffic and air quality impacts. Since 2007, LAX has performed extensive renovation of its facilities resulting in the generation of large amounts of construction and demolition (C&D) debris with significant amounts being recycled by the LAX Airport Modernization Program. In 2014 alone, C&D debris and processed miscellaneous base recycling totaled 13,282 tons and LAX Master Plan projects construction concrete recycling totaled 155,383 tons, estimated to avoid 89,100 metric tons of CO2 and save 109,214 Million BTUs of energy.

Permeable Pavement

LAWA has used permeable pavement on its property whenever possible to reduce urban pollutants in stormwater runoff. Permeable pavement allows rainfall to replenish the groundwater, capturing what would otherwise be excess stormwater runoff, and thereby reducing the amount of pollutants washing downstream - ultimately into the Santa Monica Bay. As of May 2016, LAX’s total square-footage of permeable pavement is 128,437 square feet, almost three acres.

Crossfield Taxiway Project
In 2009, as part of the Crossfield Taxiway Project, a 1,600-space parking lot (73,000 square feet) was constructed to accommodate airline tenants who were being displaced by the new taxiway. The parking lot was constructed with pervious concrete, a special type of concrete with a very high degree of porosity, that allows stormwater to flow through it, thus reducing runoff.

In March 2010, LAWA received an “Excellence in Concrete Award” from the Southern California chapter of the American Concrete Institute in recognition of “excellence in environmental usage of concrete on the LAX Crossfield Taxiway Project.”

MSC Parking Lot
Construction of nearly an acre (42,957 square feet) of permeable pavement for a parking lot to be used primarily by the Midfield Satellite Concourse (MSC) construction team was completed on September 25, 2015.

Taxi Holding Lot Relocation
The Taxi Holding Lot Relocation project was completed and turned over to the tenant in December 2015. The project provided 27,565 square feet of Green Building square footage including:

  • Natural Color Concrete Paving: 13,400 square feet.
  • Paving within Shaded Surface Area: 1,685 square feet.
  • Permeable Concrete Pavers: 12,480 square feet.

 

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