Greenest Soundstage Opened at the WB


Warner Bros. newly opened Stage 23 in Burbank is the first soundstage built to LEED specifications and is waiting its LEED certification. What, you say? A soundstage is basically just a big airplane hangar -- how hard could it be to get that LEED certified?

In an article in the May 22 issue of the AIA's Architect newsletter, WB project leader Rasa Bausa, said, "It’s an unusual building with no daylight. It‘s a warehouse type of building and functions differently. To try to fit that use into the LEED rating system we had to come up with distinct and clear definitions of how to place a new building type that wasn’t contemplated in the LEED rating system. I think it helps because we are an industry that really does care about sustainability. That was something we needed to tackle, not only for us but for the industry—how do you build a green stage?”

The 21,600-square-foot building is the 35th sound stage at the Warner Bros. Burbank lot. Sustainable construction elements include the use of Forest Stewardship Council-certified lumber, recycled steel and metals, non-toxic paint and adhesives, and foundations made with concrete mixed with 35 percent recycled fly ash. The perimeter of the stage is made of permeable asphalt, which will allow rainwater to seep into the ground.

The project also incorporates energy efficient lighting and cooling technologies with a 100-kilowatt generating solar array being added to the building.

More than 92 percent of the materials from the stage demolished to make way for the new project was reused and recycled, with Warner Bros. saying that 1,890 tons of materials were diverted from landfills in the process.

The Studio also expanded its solar electrical generating system, which will now produce more than 500 kilowatts of clean power.

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