SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES

Proximity Hotel is one of the first LEED Platinum “green hotels” and the building’s design and construction followed guidelines of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™, the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in six key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, indoor environmental quality and innovation in design. To earn LEED certification, a building project must meet certain prerequisites and performance benchmarks (“credits”) within each category. (See a list of our LEED Credits) Projects are awarded Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum certification depending on the number of credits they achieve. This comprehensive approach is the reason LEED-certified buildings have reduced operating costs, healthier and more productive occupants and conserve our natural resources.

USGBC Case Study for Proximity’s LEED Platinum Certification
Proximity LEED Credits

HERE IS A SAMPLING OF THE 70+ SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES AT PROXIMITY HOTEL:

• The building uses 39.2% less energy than a conventional hotel/restaurant by using ultra efficient materials and the latest construction technology.
• The sun’s energy heats hot water with 100 solar panels covering the 4,000 square feet of rooftop (enough hot water for a hundred homes).
• 700 linear feet of stream was restored by reducing erosion, planting local, adaptable plant species and rebuilding the buffers and banks. Approximately 700 cubic yards of soil was removed to create a floodplain bench. And 376 tons of boulders and 18 logs were used to maintain grade control, dissipate energy and assist in the creation and maintenance of riffles and pools.
• The bistro bar is made of salvaged, solid walnut trees that came down through sickness or storm and room service trays made of Plyboo (bamboo plywood).
• Newly-engineered variable speed hoods in the restaurant uses a series of sensors to set the power according to the kitchen’s needs and adjusts to a lower level of operation (typically 25% of their full capacity). The sensors also detect heat, smoke or other effluents and increase the fan speed to keep the air fresh.
• Geothermal energy is used for the restaurant’s refrigeration equipment, instead of a standard water-cooled system, saving significant amounts of water.
• North America’s first Regenerative Drive model of the Otis Gen2 elevator reduces net energy usage by capturing the system’s energy and feeds it back into the building’s internal electrical grid.
• Abundant natural lighting, including large energy-efficient “operable” windows (7’4” square windows in guest rooms), connects guests to the outdoors by achieving a direct line of sight to the outdoor environment for more than 97% of all regularly occupied spaces.

• Building materials with recycled content include reinforced steel with 90% post consumer recycled content, National Gypsum Wallboard 100%, asphalt 25% and staircase steel 50%. Concrete contains 4% fly ash (224,000 pounds), the mineral residue left after the combustion of coal that is diverted from landfills.
• 87% of construction waste was recycled, diverting 1,535 tons of debris from landfills.
• Water usage has been reduced by 33% by installing high-efficiency Kohler plumbing fixtures, saving two million gallons of water the first year.
• Air quality improved by circulating large amounts of outside air into guestrooms (60 cubic feet per minute) and doing so in an energy efficient way by employing “energy recovery” technology where the outside air is tempered by the air being exhausted.
• Regional vendors and artists were used for materials to reduce transportation and packaging.
• Low-emitting volatile organic compound (VOC) paints, adhesives, carpets, etc reduces indoor air contamination.
• Guestroom shelving and the bistro’s tabletops are made of walnut veneer, over a substrate of SkyBlend, a particleboard made from 100% post-industrial recycled wood pulp with no added formaldehyde.
• “Education Center” for sustainable practices includes tours of our “green” hotel for guests and outreach programs for students of all ages.
• Bicycles are available for guests to ride on the nearby five-mile greenway that extends to over 75 miles of trails and routes throughout the Greensboro area.

Also see: Sustainble Practices Initiative | Resources | Our LEED Credit List

Go to the LEED web site

We’d like to give special thanks to NC A&T University, Dr. Peter Rojeski and Superior Mechanical for helping us to get the LEED Platinum status with the USGBC.

NEWS: Yale Climate Connections covers Proximity Hotel in  “A Green Hotel Leaves a Sustainable Legacy”. LEARN MORE

Proximity Hotel Featured on EarthXTV

Watch the highlighted feature about our sustainable practices starting at minute 5:57 to 14:15.