The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe Receives LEED Certification From U.S. Green Building Council

Becomes the First Ritz-Carlton Resort to Receive this Design and Construction Award

North Lake Tahoe, CA (Vocus) - The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe announced today that it had officially been awarded its LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Business Council, becoming the first-ever LEED certified Ritz-Carlton resort. "Receiving this award is a further example of The Ritz-Carlton's continued commitment to innovation in the hospitality industry while developing environmentally sensitive and sustainable resorts," said Allen Highfield, General Manager for The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe "Our mid-mountain ski resort on Northstar-at-Tahoe blends seamlessly into our environment." he continued.

LEED is the internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED provides building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

"Hornberger + Worstell is pleased to have led the design effort for this unique mountain hotel – one of the few resorts in the United States to achieve LEED certified status," said Mark Hornberger, principal for San Francisco-based Hornberger + Worsell, design architects for the project.

"This project is truly unique and treats guests from all over the world to a pristine mountain environment with a resort operation that is in lock-step with its surroundings," said David Schaffer, Principal and Director of Sustainability for OZ Architecture, Architects of Record for the project. "The resort has a grand scale reflecting the mountain, but there is a very natural feel to each space," he continued. "I think guests appreciate the respect for the environment embodied in this resort." In addition, Beaudin Ganze Consulting Engineers designed the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems while Terrasan directed the landscape design.

LEED recognized features of The Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe:
Recycling/re-use of construction waste – 16,000 tons to date, which is 88% of all construction waste for the project
Reduced building footprint – provided 66% of site as open space
Provided daylight and views to 75% of the building
On-site re-use of rock for retaining walls (included in quantities above)
On-site re-use of trees for mulch (included in quantities above)
Use of recycled materials - $5,000,000 value, or 9% of all materials used
Use of local materials – 63% were extracted locally, 31% were manufactured locally
Doing "Green Cleaning" program
Construction erosion and sediment control
Off-site parking program (reduces miles driven)
Provided bike racks and lockers for employees
Stormwater retention management – no net increased run-off & stormwater treatment
Minimized heat island effect by providing shade and light-colored paving
Water efficient landscaping – reduced by 50% from typical development
Met energy standard ASHRAE 90.1
Verification of mechanical system performance
Reduced CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons) in HVAC equipment
Space for recycling provided (you may want to add what you'll do operationally)
Met ventilation standard ASHRAE 62.1
Non-smoking facility
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) monitoring for improved air quality
Use of low-VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) materials
Provided operable windows for reduced energy consumption and increased user comfort
Provided multiple thermostats for increased user control & comfort

For learn about The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe please visit http://www.ritzcarlton.com/laketahoe. To confirm you hotel reservations please contact your travel professional or Ritz-Carlton worldwide reservations at 800-241-3333.

The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe is the first new-build resort to open in the Lake Tahoe area in decades. Nestled mid-mountain on the Northstar-at-Tahoe™ Resort, the Northern California contemporary mountain retreat opened on December 9, 2009 and features slope-side ski-in, ski-out access in winter and mountain concierge services for golfing, mountain biking and hiking in the summer. The hotel's signature restaurant, Manzanita was created by James Beard Award-winning San Francisco chef Traci Des Jardins and features her seasonal French-inspired California cuisine. The Highlands Spa is a 17,000 square foot spa and fitness center with treatments and therapies themed around water and the woods. Guests will also enjoy preferred tee times and access to Old Greenwood and Gray's Crossing Golf Courses in the nearby historic town of Truckee. An inter-mountain gondola connects guests between the nearby Village-at-Northstar and The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe resort, a short 10 minute drive from the North Shore of Lake Tahoe. The year-round destination resort includes 170 guest rooms, 23 private Ritz-Carlton Residences and 25 Ritz-Carlton Destination Club fractional ownership Residences.

SOURCE: PRWeb

View original release here: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/12/prweb4873244.htm