Going green has many connotations and all of them can be summed up by the three R’s—reduce, reuse and recycle. In hospitality, typically, reducing and recycling get the most attention, but for designers, reuse is an important trend.
“Little things like [reupholstering] are easy to forget about when focusing on energy, but there is energy consumption in making new products,” says Polly Bartlett, designer for Rita St. Clair Associates, who recently received her Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accreditation from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Design reuse starts with the building itself. Hospitality requires constant development of new real estate to proliferate, and there is a big opportunity to save land and gain LEED points by using an existing building for a new project.
“We will make a decision to keep the building’s shell instead of tearing one down and building another,” says Mike Suomi, principal at Stonehill & Taylor Architects and Planners. “We gut right back to the exterior walls, keeping the floor slabs. Construction time is less and costs are less.”
An irony in this green building strategy is the building shell is often inefficient in some way—especially a historic renovation.
“Find ways to add more windows and add daylight for energy and for happiness,” Bartlett says.
Existing windows more than likely would need better insulation.
“Look where windows are—south versus north facing—and assess how the old building is heated,” Suomi says. “How do you put in a new energy system that is the most efficient?”
On the inside of the building, reuse has several identities. For one, there are more reclaimed and cradle-to-cradle products available. But a strategy that’s gaining favor with some designers is reusing wood or stone that’s been left on the scrap heap. Bartlett says this strategy saves on the manufacturing of new materials and opens up new creative directions.
“The cool trends are reusing [elements like] old stones or wooden piers,” she says. “When a lot of people think of LEED, they think of a modern look, but by using older things, it appeals to more people and gives a different feel.”
There is a stereotype that green design is plain and boring, so these reclamation efforts add character back into the product. Suomi, who recently started a new effort to rid his designs of as many petroleum-based products as he can, thinks more hospitality designers should use these reclaimed materials.
“America is a disposable, throw-away culture, and there are so many wonderful things that just get thrown away. How can you think about them in a different way?” he says. “It adds richness and character, and you can do things modern by juxtaposing something old with something clean and contemporary.”
InterContinental San Francisco
A 550-room hotel in the heart of the city, the InterContinental San Francisco is working to achieve LEED certification in 2010. Specific green initiatives the hotel has implemented include mold-free drywall, floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the property, double-paned windows, motion sensors in the guestrooms, automatic sensors on sinks and toilets and digital reader boards throughout the property. Other property initiatives include a linen and towel re-use program, local and organic food in the Luce restaurant and energy-efficient kitchen equipment and a comprehensive recycling program.
Hotel Felix Chicago
The Hotel Felix is a redevelopment of an existing Chicago property, and it is the first LEED-silver-certified hotel in the city. The hotel’s exterior is traditional, but the interior is contemporary. The lobby features full-height windows, comfortable lounge furniture and natural textures in a warm, neutral palette. Some green elements international design firm Gettys implemented in the design include: tile made from cork in the meeting spaces, motion-sensitive temperature control systems in guestrooms and low-flow toilets and showerheads.
Hermitage Bay, Antigua
This luxury, all-inclusive resort is made of 25 freestanding cottage suites. The design focus centered on preservation and environmental awareness, so the resort incorporates indigenous building materials, a natural color scheme and non-invasive development techniques. All buildings were constructed from sustainable wood, hot water is provided by solar panels, and a greywater system was installed to ensure water conservation. The cottage décor is contemporary and sleek, but the open-air layout and natural-hued fabrics showcase the Caribbean style.
