Marriott Unveils Design Prototype for Green Courtyard Hotels
Marriott International has introduced a design prototype for a LEED-certified hotel, an industry first, and has already scheduled a new Courtyard Hotel in South Carolina to be constructed according to the green building plan. Read More
Marriott International has introduced a design prototype for a LEED-certified hotel, an industry first, and has already scheduled a new Courtyard Hotel in South Carolina to be constructed according to the green building plan.
The Courtyard Charleston/Summerville is expected to open in early 2012, Marriott said when unveiling its design prototype last week. The building plan for new Courtyard properties is intended to be the first in a series of green design prototypes for the company’s limited service line — the brands that chiefly serve business travelers.
Marriott announced its design prototype initiative at the U.S. Green Building Council’s annual Greenbuild conference last November. As each prototype emerges, Marriott will submit the building design to the USGBC’s LEED volume certification program.
Under the program, gaining USGBC approval of a design expedites the certification review process for any structure that is built according to the accepted plans.
The prototype for green Courtyard hotels is expected to save property owners about $100,000 in design and other costs and six months of design time, according to Marriott. Hotels that conform to the prototype are expected deliver as much as 25 percent savings in energy and water consumption.
To develop the prototype, the company used the Courtyard Pittsburgh Settlers Ridge in Pennsylvania, which will open this fall and is registered for LEED certification, as a testing ground for fixtures and strategies to reduce energy and water consumption. Marriott said it worked with suppliers Philips Lighting and the Kohler Company, in addition to the USGBC, to conduct the tests and measure results.
The green Courtyard planned for the Charlestown/Summerville area will be a joint venture of Blanchard & Calhoun Commercial of Augusta, Ga., and MeadWestvaco of Summerville, S.C. The hotel is part of the first phase of The Parks of Berkley, a 5,000-acre project that is expected to become one of the larger planned developments in the southeastern U.S.
Other green design prototypes will be developed for the Residence Inn by Marriott, TownePlace Suites by Marriott, SpringHill Suites by Marriott and Fairfield Inn by Marriott, the company said.
Marriott’s sustainability goals include:
- Having 300 LEED-certified hotels by 2015.
- Reducing energy and water consumption by 25 percent per available room by 2017.
- Greening its $10 billion supply chain.
The company’s headquarters were certified at the LEED-Gold certification level for existing buildings in the past year. About 50 other properties across Marriott’s brands have been LEED certified or are LEED registered.
Image courtesy of Marriott International.
