Family entertainment centre Ocean5 and its Table 47 restaurant have received Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification for a green building design that is energy and environmentally friendly.
The 57,000sq.ft centre is located in the South Puget Sound area of Washington State, US, in Gig Harbor.
The venue, which describes itself as the “world’s first eatertainment project,” is the first with laser tag to earn an LEED certification as well as the first project with bowling to receive a Silver or higher certification.
Among the features designed into the project to receive the certification are its heating and cooling system operated by 72 geothermal wells that total 3.6 miles in length and its locally-sourced wood décor, which was harvested within 200 miles of the project.
Environmental sustainability was a major focus for other design elements as well, including: • extensive daylight harvesting to minimise the use of electric lighting during the daytime • low-energy bowling and laser tag equipment • a worm farm to compost all the restroom’s paper towels, which are not accepted by the areas compositing programme, and the restaurant’s (minimal) preproduction vegetable waste • carpeting made from harvested recycled fishing nets to reduce ocean plastic
As a result of all its sustainability features, the building is 40 per cent more efficient than a typical building. The energy saved is equivalent to what 36 typical homes use.
Ocean5 includes 22 lanes of both ten-pin and duckpin bowling, a laser challenge arena for 40 players, a game room and meeting spaces that can accommodate groups up to 400.
The environmentally responsible centre was inspired by Troy Alstead’s, the owner and former COO of Starbucks, love of the oceans. He described the business’ philosophy: “We will use the platform of the business to drive awareness and inspire action to improve the health of the oceans and seas, starting with Puget Sound.
“We will tell stories about how we are responsibly sourcing our ingredients, how we constructed the building to be gentle on the environment, how we use geothermal wells around the building to reduce our energy consumption.”
Randy White, CEO of the White Hutchinson Leisure and Learning Group, designers and producers of Ocean5 and Table47 said: “We are proud to have been the designers and producers of this environmentally responsible centre and to have assisted Troy in realising his dream. Both Ocean5 and its Table 47 restaurant have raised the bar by setting a new standard for the environmentally responsible and sustainable development of eatertainment, bowling and other community leisure venues. We hope new centres will be inspired to follow in its footsteps.”
LEED is one of the most popular green building certification programmes used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit US Green Building Council it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings, homes, and neighborhoods that aims to help building owners and operators be environmentally responsible and use resources efficiently.
