YOUNTVILLE, CALIF.—The Napa Valley community of Yountville, Calif., with a population of a little more than 3,000 people, is now home to one of the greenest lodging establishments in the United States—the 62-room luxury Bardessono hotel, restaurant and spa. Set to open the first week of February, the development should earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification later in 2009. If it does reach that goal, it will be only the second hotel in the United States to do so. The Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C., is the other.
The owner and developer of the property is Seattle-based Phil Sherburne. His previous lodging developments include the 86-room Willows Lodge located just outside Seattle in Woodinville, Wash., and the 23-room luxury Inn of the Spanish Garden in Santa Barbara, Calif. Sherburne has also been involved in other well-known developments including the 600-acre Decatur Island residential housing and community project in Washington’s San Juan Islands.
The Bardessono, which is managed by MTM Luxury Lodging, Kirkland, Wash., is set on the Bardessono family farmstead in the middle of Yountville. The Bardessono family selected Sherburne to develop the property based on his previous success developing green projects. The chief designer on the project was Ron Mitchell, an architect who at the time was working out of the Seattle office of Wimberly, Allison, Tong and Goo. He now has his own firm in Seattle.
Unobtrusive Hotel Design
What Sherburne, Mitchell and many others have created is a green hotel unlike any other. Because of its location in Yountville, it was designed not to be intrusive. It has a low profile and blends well into the surrounding community through a series of extended community walking paths. The property’s 540-square-foot guestrooms are located around four courtyards. Guest parking is contained in an enclosed valet space as there are no vehicular traffic corridors through the project.
Each building’s flat roof is fitted with a carefully concealed photovoltaic solar system and reflective material. Sherburne estimates the 200-kilowatt solar system, which includes more than 900 solar panels, will meet about 50 percent of the hotel, restaurant and spa’s electricity needs. Twenty-five percent of the cost of the solar installation will be paid for through a rebate from the State of California. A federal tax credit will also be available to Sherburne after the property opens. Including incentives and savings gained through energy conservation, his conservative estimate on payback for the solar system is six years.
To heat and cool guestrooms as well as the property’s domestic water supply, a system of 82 300-foot geothermal wells were drilled to work with a specially developed ground source heat pump system. Sherburne says the underground system will reduce the noise level on the property and will use very little energy.
Perhaps the most unique attribute of the Bardessono is its widespread use of reclaimed, regionally sourced wood and other recycled materials. Salvaged Monterey Cypress was milled into 60,000 square feet of siding for the hotel buildings. Inside the property, flooring in guestroom bathrooms and dressing areas was made from walnut trees that were uprooted by farmers at the end of their productive life. Walnut wood was also used to craft guestroom doors. Redwood from wine barrels was used in ceilings in public areas and furniture throughout the property was made from different types of salvaged wood. Locally quarried Tuffa stone, salvaged from the Bardessono family’s original homestead, was used in the entry area of the hotel. During construction, 93 percent of all construction waste was recycled.
Numerous Environmental Initiatives
The following are some additional ways the Bardessono is working to minimize its environmental impact:
• Organic cotton bed linens, towels and robes will be featured.
• Guestrooms are constructed to minimize solar heat gain and include wide overhangs. Occupancy sensors prompt motor-controlled venetian exterior blinds to close when guests are not present in guestrooms. Sherburne says he purchased them from Germany because they were not available in the United States. Large expanses of glass in each guestroom allow the winter sun’s rays to naturally provide warmth. Sensors also turn off lights and other electrical devices.
• LED and fluorescent lamps are used throughout the property.
• To ensure a high level of air quality, low-VOC paints and adhesives were used. By not using carpeting, draperies or bedspreads in the guestrooms, allergens are minimized.
• Low flow fixtures such as dual flush toilets and waterless urinals are used. Outdoors, drought-resistant plants prevail. All grey water and black water is treated and recycled for irrigation by the Town of Yountville.
• Concrete used on the property has significant recycled fly ash content and the steel is made mainly of recycled material.
• The Bardessono composts all kitchen and garden waste in an “Earth Tub,” and locally produced and organic food products are selected whenever possible.
• Dispensers are used for shower and bath products and hotel cleaning products are organic.
• As part of an ongoing commissioning process, monitoring devices were installed to gather data to determine the effectiveness of the solar, geothermal and external shade systems.
Reflection of Sherburne’s Values
For Sherburne, building in a sustainable manner is important. “It is a reflection of my personal values to a large degree,” he says. “We have to take the health of the planet more seriously. I wanted the project to demonstrate how you can integrate environmental design into a hotel successfully.”
Sherburne says the entire project will end up costing about 10 percent more than a standard hotel its size. That extra cost, he says, will be recovered over time through the property’s many design innovations and technologies.
Ironically, Sherburne did not set out to pursue LEED Platinum from the beginning. It was suggested by the project’s architect along the way and an environmental consultant was hired to assist with the documentation and application process.
Go to the Bardessono.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
