LAX ConRAC Facility Earns Green Building Accolades

PGAL is proud to announce that the Los Angeles International Airport’s Consolidated Rent-A-Car facility has received an Energy and Operational Carbon Design Merit award from the U.S. Green Building Council-Los Angeles. The achievement comes on the heels of the building’s core and shell earning Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold v4 certification from USGBC’s national assembly.

LAX’s ConRAC facility is an integral part of the airport’s historic multi-billion-dollar Landside Access Modernization Program. By relocating rental car companies into one convenient location and providing a direct connection to LAX’s Automated People Mover (APM) train system, the ConRAC will eliminate the approximately 3,200 daily shuttle trips, alleviating traffic congestion on local streets and around the airport’s Central Terminal Area. The facility also features a Quick Turn Around (QTA) building, which allows for efficient fueling, washing, and light maintenance of vehicles.

“The U.S. Green Building Council is a global leader in sustainable building design, consistently setting the bar for best practices. To have Council’s national and local chapters recognize LAX’s ConRAC facility with distinctions is incredibly significant and demonstrates that our mission to promote environmental, social and economic sustainability across LAWA is having real positive impact,” said Bea Hsu, Interim Chief Executive Officer, LAWA. “I am grateful to LAWA’s staff and our project partners, as well as the rental car tenants who will soon call the ConRAC facility home, for their role in helping to realize this thoughtfully designed and resilient project.”

“We are incredibly proud of the ConRAC facility’s achievements in sustainable building design and the positive impact its integral role in the Landside Access Modernization Program will have on the LAX campus and the City of Los Angeles for years to come,” said Stephanie Kazanecki, Associate Principal at PGAL. “The facility’s accolades can be attributed to the steadfast teamwork of LAWA, the LAX ConRAC Partners team, and all project stakeholders.”

Through a 4.8-megawatt photovoltaic solar panel array that is integrated into the ConRAC’s façades, roofs, and parking canopies, 8,400 megawatt hours of electricity are produced annually. This power is sent directly to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) via the department’s Feed in Tariff (FiT) program. Additionally, the ConRAC facility achieves an impressive 36% energy use reduction and an operational carbon reduction of 1,220,000 pounds per year, with additional carbon savings gained through sustainable electrification measures, reduction of heat island effect, and alternative transportation options. The facility’s native and drought-tolerant landscape and reclaimed water usage system also contribute to the project’s environmentally-minded design.

 The ConRAC facility is scheduled to open in 2024.