hospitalitystyle.com

(September 2008) posted on Tue Sep 09, 2008 4:23pm EDT
Sustainable design can also be luxe—and still not bust the budget. Here’s how.

By Matthew Hall

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The Palazzo Las Vegas generated some serious buzz in hospitality design circles earlier this year by becoming the largest building of any kind to gain silver-level certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

The sleek new resort-a Las Vegas Sands Corp. property that towers 50 stories over the fabled Strip and houses 3,066 suites, a 105,000-square-foot casino, more than a dozen restaurants and 60-plus luxury boutiques-won LEED points for a variety of eco-friendly features, including water-efficient bathroom fixtures that use 37 percent less water than conventional plumbing; structural steel composed of 95 percent recycled content; in-room air conditioning controls that automatically allow the temperature to rise several degrees when guests aren't present and dip back to a lower setting when they return; and an extensive use of natural light in its public areas.

Sands Corp. officials could not provide specifics on what impact The Palazzo's sustainable features had on its $1.9 billion price tag, nor could they detail how much they expect these environmental initiatives to save the company in reduced operating costs. But they obviously feel the effort to go green was worth it. "We are convinced that LEED certification will have a positive economic impact on this project for years to come," says Brad Stone, the company's executive vice president.

Sustainability is also being woven into the design DNA of the nearby CityCenter, a 67-acre "urban metropolis" that's slated to open in November 2009. That $9 billion complex, being developed by MGM Mirage, will incorporate a variety of green design features similar to those of The Palazzo, including custom low-flow bathroom fixtures and an extensive use of natural lighting. In addition, CityCenter will feature an on-site power plant whose excess heat will be harnessed to warm the water used by guests.

 

Sustainable Stampede

Clearly, green has come to glitz central. But this is one case where what happens in Vegas isn't staying in Vegas. Thanks to a confluence of factors, including ever-growing ranks of eco-conscious consumers, an expanding cadre of sustainable products and systems and exponential increases in energy costs, green design is red hot.

Ramsey Mankarious, ceo of London-based Cedar Capital Partners LLC, says the recent spike in oil prices, in particular, has greatly intensified hotel owners' interest in sustainable initiatives. "Energy costs have traditionally accounted for 1.5 to 3 percent of hotels' operating expenses, and with fuel costs going through the roof, that number has already increased significantly," says Mankarious, whose four-year-old hotel investment group has acquired, on behalf of institutional investors, properties valued at more than $800 million. "As a result, finding green design features that can reduce energy costs has turned into a front-burner issue for hotel owners and operators."

But as with any über-trend, sustainable design has generated its share of overstatements and outright misstatements. Example: Have you seen a product claim that it's "LEED certified"? There's no such thing. The USGBC certifies projects for LEED, but not products-though certain products can net a building points toward certification.

To help you distinguish sustainable fact from sustainable fiction, Hospitality Style sought out designers and architects who practice what they preach when it comes to integrating green design principles and products into their projects. What follows is a practical guide to infusing hospitality complexes with earth-friendly features-all without sacrificing any of the creature comforts that guests have come to expect.

 

Green Roots

First and foremost, the decision to go green reaps the most benefits when it's factored into a project from the start. "The earlier in the process green design is considered, the greater its impact will be and the lower its costs will be," says Shaun Hannah, director of sustainability at architecture/interior design firm WATG. "Ideally, it starts with the site selection and considers such factors as access to public transportation and other opportunities to minimize patrons' and workers' reliance on automobiles. In addition, it's worth taking advantage of a locale's prevailing winds to maximize the use of natural ventilation and configure any building in such a way that solar panels can be installed where they'll work most efficiently."

Sir Richard Branson, flamboyant founder of the British-based Virgin Group, plans to incorporate the latter two strategies into Mosquito Island, a sustainable resort he wants to open in the British Virgin Islands. That complex, which is still in its planning phase, is slated to include 20 villas and a restaurant powered entirely by wind turbines and solar panels. The villas will be sited to capture cool prevailing winds, eliminating the need for conventional air conditioning. "It is inexcusable for a project in the Caribbean to need to use dirty fuels anymore, when it has all these natural resources on its doorstep," Branson said during a press tour of his adjoining Necker Island resort earlier this year.

Then there's the new Hard Rock Hotel Palm Springs, a development by Santa Ana, Calif.-based Nexus Cos. that's scheduled to come online in late 2010. In keeping with the hotel's hot, dry environment in that California desert town, SB Architects endowed the nine-story building "with extensive sun-shading devices for cooling, and roof-mounted energy-recovery units that transfer excess heat into the hotel's large swimming pools," says Tom Sprinkle, the firm's principal/vice president.

Taking advantage of the traits Mother Nature bestowed upon a given site is just one of the sustainable design directions a project can pursue. When laying out the inside of a hotel, for example, architects should give serious thought to downsizing the dimensions of the guest rooms and their windows, says James Stapleton, FRCH Design Worldwide's vice president/operations manager. Those steps will save money in both the short and long term, Stapleton says.

Using smaller windows "is one of the simplest and easiest ways to cut up-front construction costs, as glass walls or windows are much more expensive than surrounding solid wall material," he explains. "And smaller windows are more cost-effective over the long haul, as they reduce the amount of heat or cold being transferred to the building's interior."

As for room sizes, Stapleton notes that the trend of recent decades has been to super-size such spaces, "which means the use of more construction materials and more energy to heat and cool the building," he says. "Adding eco-friendly features to these larger spaces is akin to buying a Hummer with a hybrid engine and calling it energy efficient. It may get 12 miles per gallon rather than eight, but a real hybrid gets 45 mpg. The same is true for room sizes-a smaller one is going to be much more energy efficient than a larger one."

But buildings with larger rooms and windows can still be earth-friendly, at least in the eyes of the LEED program. Case in point: the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C., which opened last November and was expecting confirmation that it had received either gold or platinum LEED status as this issue went to press. In addition to several oversized guest rooms, the hotel has floor-to-ceiling operable windows that its owner lauds for allowing in natural light and fresh air.

"While most of the 70-plus sustainable enhancements to the hotel are not outwardly visible to guests, they are sure to notice the oversized windows in our rooms, which let in abundant sunlight and can be opened to give guests access to outside breezes," says Dennis Quaintance, chief design officer and president
of Quaintance-Weaver, owner of the 147-room hotel.

Other sustainable design features include in-room shelving consisting of walnut SkyBlend, a particleboard made from 100 percent post-industrial recycled wood pulp, and tabletops in its Print Works Bistro made of reclaimed walnut trees.

For all its emphasis on green principles, "we made sure none of our sustainable practices caused one iota of sacrifice in comfort for our guests," says Quaintance.

Those sentiments reflect a conundrum faced by a variety of hospitality operators: Many guests still equate a sustainable environment with a Spartan experience. Among those wrestling with that dilemma is the Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group.

"Being a company that's known for its décor and design, one of our struggles is to find green alternatives that do not compromise the guest experience at our properties," says David Sussman, the firm's senior vice president, hotel development and design.

Editor's Note: Proximity Hotel achieved LEED platinum. Read the follow-up story here http://www.hospitalitystyle.com/content/proximity-hotel-and-restaurant-attain-leed-platinum

 

More Sustainable Choices

Designers say help is on the way for companies like Kimpton, as the selection of sustainable materials in luxury finishes is growing exponentially. In addition, owners and operators of hospitality complexes should be heartened by the fact that "many materials commonly used in hospitality spaces are inherently sustainable," says Nellie Reid, co-director of sustainable design at Gensler.

"Wool carpet, cork and linoleum are rapidly renewable, and gypsum board, ceiling tiles, glass tiles, metal studs and steel all typically have recycled material," Reid says.

However, making cost-effective use of wood to achieve sustainable goals can be a bit tricky, Reid notes. "I've seen complications arise when it comes to using wood doors," she explains. "The door core is typically made from medium density fiberboard (MDF), which may have recycled content, but may have also been made with urea formaldehyde."

Other considerations include whether the door is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, meaning its wood came from trees grown and harvested in ways that protect forests for the long term, and whether it's fire-rated. Given all those variables, finding a door that meets a given project's specific sustainable goals "can be time-consuming, and could involve paying a premium," Reid says.

 

Appointing a Point Person

To help address this maze of strategic and budgetary decisions, many firms in the field have placed someone in charge of their sustainability initiatives full-time. Recent examples include WATG's appointment of Hannah as its first director of sustainability and the Hilton Corp.'s naming of Christopher Corpuel to the newly created post of vice president-global sustainability.

Corpuel's promotion coincided with Hilton's announcement of is latest round of global sustainability goals for 2014, which include reducing its energy consumption, CO2 emissions and waste output by 20 percent, and its water consumption by 10 percent. "If we can use the lens of sustainability and find ways to enhance our position in the industry," says Hilton ceo Christopher Nassetta, "I am confident we will not only drive business value in the short and long term, but innovate our products and offerings in ways we never imagined."

The bottom line: Whether you're green with envy (or nausea) over the tsunami of sustainable initiatives washing through the hospitality field, get used to it. Earth-friendly design has permanently checked into your world.  

LEED: Help or Hindrance?

The U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC's) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) has become the de facto standard for developing sustainable buildings, at least in America. But while LEED is widely lauded, it does have detractors-and competitors.

Before exploring LEED's pros and cons, here's a bit more on how it works. Under LEED, projects submitted for evaluation by the USGBC earn points for satisfying green building criteria in six categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and design innovation. The total points a project attains determine the level of certification it receives (certified, silver, gold or platinum). LEED certification is available for all building types, and a specific set of criteria for hospitality projects is being created by the council, in cooperation with industry participants.

LEED's legion of fans includes Nellie Reid, co-director of sustainable design at Gensler. "LEED is expediting the transformation of the hotel industry by offering a way of comparing hotels across a standard rating system," says Reid. "It has credibility in the marketplace because it offers a third-party validation of green building claims."

Many hospitality owners, operators and procurement firms feel the same way. For example, David Sussman, the Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group's senior vice president, hotel development and design, feels LEED is "absolutely helping" the hospitality sector because "it assists manufacturers in understanding that we are all serious about finding items that will qualify for LEED credits." Similarly, Purchasing Management International's William Langmade says LEED standards offer "an excellent tool to use in specifying green products."

"As with anything new, there has been some misunderstanding about what LEED is all about," says Langmade, president of the Dallas-based sourcing and procurement company for the hospitality and gaming industries. "I give the USGBC lots of credit for working very hard to educate the industry about how LEED works."

But once project owners have that understanding, some conclude that LEED certification is "too bureaucratic, time-consuming and costly," says FRCH Design Worldwide's James Stapleton. "Many LEED principles are certainly worthwhile, so I am seeing teams go for ‘environmentally responsible solutions'-but not necessarily LEED," says Stapleton, lead architect and operations manager of the Cincinnati-based design firm's hospitality studio. "The owners don't want the process or the cost [related to seeking LEED certification], but they are looking to make their buildings more environmentally friendly."

It's also worth noting that LEED isn't the only game in town. Edwin Fuller, president and managing director of Marriott International, notes that while LEED is facilitating the sustainability movement in North America, other guidelines, such as the "minimum standards toward a sustainable hotel" developed by the International Tourism Partnership, are viable alternatives.