TCF Center Receives 2020 USGBC Leadership Award for Sustainability Achievements
November 24, 2020
It isn’t easy being green, but convention centers that remain steadfast in their commitment to sustainability can certainly reap the rewards from time to time. Case in point: Detroit’s TCF Center, which received a 2020 U.S. Green Building Council Leadership Award during the closing event of the annual Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, held Nov. 10-12 in a virtual format this year. Awarded annually, the USGBC Leadership Award recognizes exceptional work advancing sustainable, healthy, resilient and equitable buildings, cities and communities.
According to USGBC officials, the 2020 award recipients represent leaders who are driving the adoption of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) across business portfolios, higher education and green affordable housing, as well as helping to advance environmental, social and governance performance, resilience planning and innovative waste management solutions.
“USGBC’s Leadership Award recipients are a model for how LEED and other sustainability practices can be used to improve communities, support business and contribute to a better future for all,” said USGBC officials in a statement.
TCF Center is the only U.S. convention center to receive the award among the 10 companies, projects and individuals recognized this year, according to TCF officials.
“We realize that the TCF Center is an economic engine for the Detroit community,” said Claude Molinari, general manager of ASM Global/TCF Center. “We take this responsibility seriously and do everything we can to include the local and event communities in our efforts to hit as many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals as we can each year, reducing our carbon footprint and enriching the lives of residents and visitors.”
Molinari added that TCF Center has been growing its green initiatives for a decade, and that by organizing its green event program and sustainable operations protocols, the venue works to continually adapt to global facility and event sustainability advancements.
The convention center achieved LEED Gold certification in October 2019 under LEED v4.1 Operations +Maintenance and is one of only a few convention centers in the world to certify under that rating system. Not only is TCF a high-performing green building, with a team dedicated to ongoing performance measurement, it also invests in educating employees, vendors, customers, partners and visitors on its efforts and the importance of sustainable practices.
Additionally, the center is also a steward of human health. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the facility was designated an alternate care site where it remains prepared to provide medical care space for the overflow of local Detroit hospitals. Meanwhile, it continues to clean and sterilize PPE for local hospitals, has distributed 2.5 million pounds of food to the local Detroit community from its docks in partnership with Food Rescue US and is periodically a site for Red Cross blood drives as needed.
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Partner Voices
Dallas already boasts 35,000 hotel rooms, award-winning global cuisine, and a walkable downtown. But we are just getting started.
Visit Dallas is thrilled to announce that the city of Dallas is doubling down with a massive new convention center and entertainment district. Featuring 800,000 square feet of exhibit area, 260,000 square feet of meeting rooms, and 170,000 square feet of ballroom. The center will connect business travelers with dining and shopping options in the popular Cedars District means more places to get down to business, and even more ways to unwind.
“Dallas is already a great meetings and conventions destination, with the accessibility of two major airports, affordable labor, and an outstanding hotel product,” said D. Bradley Kent, Visit Dallas senior vice president and chief sales officer. “The new center and Convention Center District will enhance Dallas’ competitive position and are exactly what our customers’ need and have been asking for."
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Hotels Coming Soon
Names like the JW Marriott (Downtown), lnterContinental Dallas (Uptown), and Hotel Swexan (Uptown) are adding luxury amenities and bountiful event spaces. The projects will debut in 2023 and beyond.
JW Marriott
This new, 15-story, 283-room hotel will open in the heart of the city’s downtown Arts District this year. The property features a 25,000-square-foot grand ballroom, as well as a spa, restaurant, lobby bar, fitness center, and a rooftop pool deck and bar.
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