World’s First LEED Platinum Hotel

GREENSBORO, N.C., Oct. 9 Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels announced today that the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, NC, has been awarded LEED Platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council. Opened in late 2007, the Proximity and the adjacent Print Works Bistro are the first hotel and first restaurant to obtain the USGBC’s top level certification. LEED is the USGBC’s rating system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy efficient, and high performing buildings.

Dennis Quaintance, the CEO and CDO (Chief Design Officer) of Quaintance-Weaver, is obviously delighted. “When we started the design process four years ago, I would have never believed that we could use 41% less energy and 33% less water without one iota of compromise in comfort or luxury and with minimal additional construction costs,” says Quaintance. “It just goes to show what a determined team can accomplish if they use common sense and get a little bit of help from the sun.”

His “sun” comment refers to the 100 solar rooftop panels that heat water for the AAA Four Diamond hotel. To illustrate how the hotel and bistro save energy without negatively affecting guests, he asks, “How is it a compromise for a guest to shower with water that is heated by the sun?”

Quaintance collaborated with his subcontractors on every little detail and personally tested most products, and this attention to detail is paying off in savings. For example, the hotel and restaurant will use two million gallons less water during the first year, saving more than $13,000 by spending less than $7,000 in additional construction costs.

Proximity did not attain this milestone by just using less energy and water. They also:

• Recycled 87% of the construction debris (1,535 tons)
• Sourced over 40% of the building materials locally
• Used over 20% recycled content
• Restored 700 feet of an adjacent stream
• Installed the first regenerative drive elevators in North America, generating electricity on the descent
• Provided natural lighting to 97% of the occupied space
• Used elaborate energy recovery systems so as to provide large amounts of fresh air
• Sourced 90% of the furniture locally
• Plus more than 60 other sustainable practices

[Proximity Hotel | via Energy Roadmap]