While a lot of attention gets paid to the environmental impact of aircraft, airport facilities put down a huge carbon footprint and a California business aircraft charter and management company is taking a lead role in changing that. Avjet, in collaboration with Shangri-La Development and Shangri-La Construction have built the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum Certified hangar and airport office facility at Bob Hope Airport.The dedication ceremony is Dec. 9 at 11 a.m.
The LEED program encourages the use of low impact materials, energy creation and conservation to create buildings that, in many cases, are a net benefit to the environment. The Avjet facility is 63,653 square feet in total and the roof-top solar arrays power the whole building, including ground power for aircraft and recharging of tow and service vehicles. The solar panels actually produce about 50 percent more power than needed and it’s fed into the local grid. Other features include a diamond-polished concrete floor that doesn’t need to be coated, a water-based fog fire suppression system and energy reducing systems to heat and cool the building with less dependence on standard HVAC equipment.
