Hotel Earns LEED® Certification Gold
The Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa, American Canyon, Calif., is one of three Gaia hotels owned by the Atman Hospitality Group, Inc. (Atman), San Francisco. Owner and founder Wen-I Chang grew up in Taiwan in an environment that nurtured union with nature. Gaia, which is Greek for Mother Earth, epitomizes Chang’s philosophy of incorporating sustainable design principles like energy conservation, natural lighting, specialized green building materials and environmentally friendly practices into his hotel properties. Naturally, Atman is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).Inspired by design concepts of Mickey Muennig, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, the plans for the 133-room hotel were drawn by the firm of Todd Jersey Architecture, Berkeley, Calif., which specializes in green services, including LEED administration. By using natural lumber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), ultra-quiet, energy-efficient HVAC systems using environmentally friendly refrigerant, low VOC paints, solar panels that provide 12 percent of the hotel’s electrical needs, low- flush toilets, low-flow showerheads and tubular skylights that allow natural light into the lobby, hallways and conference rooms, the hotel earned LEED certification Gold. An interior plaza features a swan lagoon, which is fed by rain and recycled storm water. An educational, real- time energy kiosk in the lobby shows guests how the hotel’s various systems work and indicates the daily water and electricity savings compared to ordinary hotels.
The Quest for LEED
“It was a real challenge to design a beautiful building that meets the rigorous LEED criteria for a green building and stay within budget,” said Todd Jersey, principal, Todd Jersey Architecture. “The client is a hotel developer, which is a competitive, commercial market. The opportunity rested on the fact that Gaia is an independent hotel, as opposed to a chain, with a developer whose vision is that whatever is good for the earth should be included in the hotel. It was our task to make it work.”
When searching for the ideal HVAC system to match his LEED certification aspirations, Chang contacted Neil Riley, president, Riley & Associates, Walnut Creek, Calif. “Chang’s reputation for green hotel design is legendary,” Riley said. “When you meet him, you feel his genuine passion for connecting man with all things natural. He wanted his vision to be translated and come alive right down to cooling and heating the guest rooms.”
Chang wanted Gaia’s HVAC system to be as environmentally friendly and innovative as the rest of the hotel’s sustainable design. The HVAC system had to be extremely quiet, provide the utmost in energy efficiency and the outdoor units installed out of sight. He also wanted a smart system that offered simultaneous cooling and heating.
CITY MULTI® Systems Assisted in Achieving Gold Certification
Riley knew of the right system for meeting the demands of Chang’s lofty vision. He described Mitsubishi Electric HVAC Advanced Products Division’s expertise and industry leadership in LEED-type projects around the world. He listed the many benefits of the CITY MULTI R2-Series Variable Refrigerant Flow Zoning (VRFZ) system that would help Chang earn essential LEED points. He told Chang about the unique INVERTER-driven Variable Frequency Drive compressor,which provides highly responsive cooling and heating performance in each guest room. He mentioned the ultra-quiet performance from both the outdoor and indoor units, which are perfectly suited for hotel environments. He showed Chang how the wall-mounted indoor units—with sound ratings as low as 32 dB(A)— would be installed unobtrusively in each room.
