I just added another hotel to the Geothermal Powered page on the Green Lodging News website—The Hotel at Oberlin in Oberlin, Ohio. Anyone familiar with Oberlin College would not be surprised by the college’s latest venture. The 70-room hotel, set to have its soft opening this month (May), is on track for the rare LEED Platinum certification and will join just a handful of hotels in the United States in that group. I recently spoke with Christopher Noble, Project Developer, SMART Hotels LLC, to learn more about this outstanding property.
“Our path to LEED Platinum is based on energy efficiency more than anything else,” Noble told me. The Hotel at Oberlin features a hydronic radiant heating and cooling system tied to the geothermal system. There are 48 geothermal wells, each 405 feet deep, surrounding the property. There is LED lighting throughout the hotel.
“It is fair to say we are solar powered as well,” Noble says. During the planning stages for the Peter B. Lewis Gateway Center, of which the hotel is a part, a nearby solar array was built. The energy from that array helps power the Center.
Indoor air quality will be a focus. Guests will be able to open the windows in their guestrooms. Windows in public spaces also will open. Ceiling fans will help distribute air. From a water efficiency standpoint, everything is low-flow. There also will be a 30,000 gallon cistern on property for the collection of rainwater. That water primarily will be used for irrigation. The hotel has been designed with recycling and composting in mind.
Farmhouse Dismantled for Materials
Many of the materials for the hotel have been locally sourced. Wood from a dismantled 19th century farmhouse outside of town is being incorporated into the hotel’s design by local Mennonite carpenters. Oberlin College purchased the house and had it dismantled. Some of the wooden furniture is being handcrafted locally by Amish carpenters.
A permanent three-part installation in the lobby and exterior by Ohio-born artist Maya Lin (Vietnam Veterans Memorial) is underway and will be finished in the coming months. The installation will be focused on the local climate and landscape, the final part of her “Ohio Trilogy.”
The Hotel at Oberlin is the result of a process that began almost five years ago, Noble said. It was then when the college’s board of trustees decided to move forward with the new hotel instead of investing in renovation of the Oberlin Inn, which had been a part of the community since the founding of Oberlin College.
The hotel, which will have its official opening in September, is part of phase one of a larger project. Phase two will include a 15,000 square foot wing that houses the college’s admissions office and classroom space. The project will not officially receive its Platinum certification until after the completion of phase two.
It is great to see yet another stellar example of green building in our industry.
Green Lodging News Adds Hubbell Lighting Case Study to Website
Green Lodging News has added a Hubbell Lighting case study to its website. The case study details Extended Stay America’s efforts to improve the exterior lighting at its hotels. From a lighting perspective, the technology used to light up the buildings, parking lots and common areas were outdated. The desired light levels were unachievable, and maintenance costs were unsustainable. The InSite Group and Hubbell Lighting partnered to develop a solution that would replace the existing pole and wallpacks with LED luminaires.
The end result of the upgrade has been improved outdoor lighting levels, ultimately contributing to the safety and security of guests, visitors and staff. Lighting performance and quality have been improved, affording Extended Stay America the ability to achieve better light uniformity and increased light levels in critical places that were flagged as potential areas of risk. All of this was accomplished with an aesthetically pleasing luminaire package that looked good in the daytime and met all the desired metrics at night. The LED technology has had an immediate return on the investment for Extended Stay America. When all 629 facilities are completed by 2018, Extended Stay America expects significant returns. There has been a reduction in energy expenses, and the projected energy savings once all 629 hotels are completed is 18,500,000 kWh per year, translating to a savings of $1,750,000 per year.
To access the case study, click here.
Who is Your Sustainability Champion?
Green Lodging News is always looking to profile sustainability champions in our Personnel Profile section. If you would like to nominate someone for this section of Green Lodging News, contact me at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
Looking for Guest Columnists
Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
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