Leisure Media Issue 3 2009 - Leisure Opportunities

undertaking development that respectsthe environment. The guidelines provideimplementable recommendationsthat encourage developers to create andoperate a sustainable hotel.Topics include site evaluation, architecturaland interior design strategies,energy reduction, water conservation,waste management, procurement andguest participation. Also included is a listof resources, publications and organisationsto help steer hotel owners,operators and developers in a more environmentally-consciousdirection.PHOTO: COURTESY OF SAMMY DYESSPRACTICING WHATWE PREACHThe principles of responsive and responsibledesign are fundamental to thesuccess of WATG’s projects. Whereverwe work around the world, we encourageour clients to pursue sustainability.As their operating costs go down andtheir property values go up, WATG clientsrealise considerable return on their greenThe recently opened Bardessonoluxury lodge in California hasbeen designed to achieve LEEDPlantinum certificationbuilding investments and achieve competitiveprominence for their properties,even in a tough economy.One case in point is the recentlyopened Bardessono – an environmentallyfriendly, 62-room boutique luxury lodgein the heart of California’s Napa Valley.Designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification,features include 72 geothermalwells to heat and cool guestrooms andprovide hot water, as well as 940 solarpanels on the building’s flat roofs, whichproduce 200 kW of power. Sustainablebuilding materials and organic landscapemanagement practices include rammedearthsculptural walls and 100-year-oldolive trees. Automatically-adjusting exteriorVenetian blinds control the sun andheat. They’re part of an energy managementsystem that turns off everythingelectric in the rooms when a guest leaves.Bardessono connects with the environmentthrough the use of local, recycledmaterials and the integration of outdoorspaces into the design. The guest experienceis enhanced through such featuresas organic gardens, private courtyardsand outdoor showers, in-room massages,and the availability of bicycles andelectric vehicles.According to owner and developer PhilSherburne: “The decision to design andbuild such an environmentally advancedhotel has helped to insulate us in the currenteconomic climate.”THE WAY FORWARD‘Do not disturb’ – we think of thesewords in their broadest sense, as areminder that the sanctity of a place andits people should be preserved in thelarger context of the built environment,just as it is in the microcosm of a singlehotel room. Fundamental to our missionas architects, planners and designers isa commitment to leave a place and itspeople better off by virtue of our work.Creating sustainable hotel guidelinesallows others to do so as well.Wolff is senior vice president of WATG ●ISSUE 3 2009 © cybertrek 2009Read Leisure Management online leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital 51