Setting a precedent as the first hotel in the U.S. to achieve LEED Platinum certification, the AAA Four Diamond rated Proximity Hotel and adjacent restaurant, Print Works Bistro, are committed to upholding sustainable practices without sacrificing the comfort of their guests. While sustainability was not initially a project goal, the CEO and Chief Design Officer Dennis Quaintance found making design decisions for long-term value and practicality led the project team toward a decidedly sustainable approach.

The hotel’s project team brought in 7group partner, Marcus Sheffer, as a LEED consultant and peer reviewer (in Quaintance’s words, his “LEED sherpa”) on the energy modeling, renewable energy systems, and the Monitoring and Verification plan. With an emphasis on ultra-efficient materials and systems and the comfort of its guests, the project utilizes over 100 solar panels covering 4,000 sf of the building’s rooftop to heat 60% of the water used for both the hotel and restaurant and utilizes the first regenerative drive elevators in North America, reducing their energy usage by capturing the elevator’s descent energy and feeding it back into the building’s own internal electrical grid. Additional strategies, include cooling the restaurant’s refrigeration equipment with geothermal energy saving a substantial amount of water over water-cooling systems, and providing 97% of the hotel’s daily occupied spaces with natural daylight, reduce energy consumption by 39.2% beyond a conventional hotel and restaurant.

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Other features such as elaborate energy recovery systems provide all guests with fresh air without the usual PTAC or ventilator in each room, locally extracted, processed and manufactured materials, high-efficient plumbing fixtures, and a vegetated rooftop all contributed to the project earning LEED Platinum certification in October 2008. The hotel shares its learning experiences and promotes continuing education on sustainable practices for the community, its staff and its guests, through Sustainable Practices Symposiums that are available to the public along with tours of the building. More information can be found at http://proximityhotel.com/green.htm.