GREENSBORO, N.C.—The Proximity Hotel will give a free presentation to share its journey of the design and building of the “greenest” hotel in the country. The Sustainable Practices Symposium will be held on Wednesday, July 9, from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the hotel. Dennis Quaintance, president, developer and chief design officer, will lead the discussion that will include the step-by-step process of gaining LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) from the U.S. Green Building Council. The symposium will end with a behind-the-scenes guided tour.
There is no registration fee, but advance registration is required and space is limited. The event is sponsored by the hotel and Superior Mechanical, Inc., which installed the innovative and efficient heating and cooling system at Proximity.
Proximity Hotel’s sustainable design and construction follows the guidelines of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating System, the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. Built to use 40 percent less energy and 30 percent less water than a comparable hotel, Proximity will likely attain the USGBC’s highest rating, LEED Platinum.
Proximity features ultra efficient materials and the latest in building technology such as North America’s first installation of the regenerative drive for Otis’ Gen2 elevator, which reduces net energy usage by capturing the system’s energy and feeds it back into the building’s internal electrical grid. In addition, 100 solar panels on the roof generate energy to heat water for the hotel. Since many of the more than 70 energy and health enhancements will not be outwardly visible to guests, the behind-the-scenes tour will point out many of these.
A special overnight rate of $149 is available to symposium attendees. The Proximity Hotel was built and is operated by Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels. For more information and registration, go to www.proximityhotel.com/symposium.htm or call 336-379-8200.
