Sustainable Design & Construction
Raising the "Development Bar:" Sustainable Design Guidelines
Recently, Xanterra developed its Guidelines for Environmentally Sustainable Design and Construction. This document guides Xanterra employees and partners through the process of making a building as environmentally sustainable as possible. These guidelines define Xanterra’s expectations for all contractors, subcontractors, architects, engineers, consultants, and vendors working with Xanterra on the design, construction, or rehabilitation of buildings in national parks. Xanterra uses the guidelines to ensure that new construction and renovations of buildings will be as environmentally sensitive as possible.
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As a long-time member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Xanterra also uses the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program criteria as a guideline for its construction projects. The USGBC, a coalition of leading organizations from the building industry, established the LEED rating system to certify buildings as “green” based on a credit system of the environmental measures implemented. The LEED program is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings and provides a complete framework for assessing building performance and meeting sustainability goals. |
The Concession Industry's LEED-Certified Buildings
In 2004 at Yellowstone National Park, Xanterra reclaimed a formerly contaminated brownfield site and transformed it into a U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified employee housing development–the first of its kind in the Yellowstone area, in Montana, and in the entire national park system.
Xanterra has continued its commitment to sustainable design and construction in national parks by adding two more major sustainable development projects:
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LEED Silver Certified Annie Creek Restaurant and Gift Shop at Crater Lake National Park; and
- Green Suites at Zion National Park Lodge.
Sustainable Design and Construction at Crater Lake
In 2006, Xanterra designed and constructed the Annie Creek Restaurant and Gift Shop building which received LEED Silver Certification under the US Green Building Council’s green building rating system. This building is now the second building in the concession industry to be LEED certified. Environmental measures for this 26,000 square foot building that welcomes visitors to Crater Lake include:
- 25 percent of building materials included recycled content.
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Recycled or salvaged 77 percent of waste from construction, demolition and land-clearing.
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Sourced 42 percent of building materials from local manufacturers with over half of these materials being harvested locally.
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Carpets exceeded the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Green Label Indoor Air Quality Test Program standards.
- Oregon Energy Code exceeded by 18 percent.
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Reduced water use by 50 percent. This includes using a highly efficient, low-temperature dishwasher, low-flow faucets, dual-flush toilets and waterless urinals.
- Eliminated permanent irrigation.
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Filtered and treated storm water through the use of a “natural” drainage ditch.
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Sourced 100 percent of the building’s electricity from renewable wind power.
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Dedicated a recycling area located in the building to capture recyclable material during the operation of the building.
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Used only highly efficient custom fixtures with fluorescent lamps, occupancy sensors, and multi-level dimming systems. This, in conjunction with passive daylighting, minimizes electricity usage.
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Implemented controls that allow for adjustment of ventilation, temperature & lighting to ensure that the building operates at optimum efficiency.
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Eliminated use of ozone depleting CFC-based refrigerants, HCFCs or halons.
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Adopted an operational “green” policy by using only environmentally friendly cleaners, soaps and chemicals in the building.
Sustainable Design at Xanterra's Zion Lodge "Green Suites"
In 2006, Xanterra renovated six guest suites at Zion Lodge to be as environmentally sustainable as possible. Now called “Green Suites,” these rooms employ nearly every sustainable alternative to reduce consumption of natural resources, eliminate waste, and improve guest comfort. Here are highlights:
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All Natural Biodegradable Soaps, Shampoos and Moisturizers provide a healthy and eco-friendly alternative to individually packaged non-biodegradable amenities. Bulk dispensers eliminate thousands of wasted plastic bottles.
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Filtered Drinking Water Faucets from clean, natural springs within the park improve taste and encourage the use of reusable water containers.
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Complimentary Organic Coffee and Tea (and two mugs) are certified organic fair trade and grown without pesticides, using a shade grown method to reduce deforestation.
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Compact Fluorescent Lighting reduce energy consumption by 70 percent and last ten times longer than standard incandescent bulbs.
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Key Card Lighting Controls similar to popular systems throughout Europe, make lighting within the room operable only when the guest has inserted their key card into a slot by the entry door, saving 15 percent of energy.
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Biodegradable, non-toxic Green Seal certified Cleaners are used in all rooms.
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Renewable Solar & Wind Energy comprises 85 percent of all power.
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Automated Heat and Air Conditioning sensors detect body heat and motion to control the temperature within comfortable predetermined set points.
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LED Nightlights prevent the bathroom light from being used as a nightlight, using less than dollar of energy per year.
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Sustainable Bamboo Floor Entry Way saves trees. Bamboo can be harvested in only three years, as opposed to 50 years for hardwoods.
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Recycled Content Interface Entropy Carpet is more than 70 percent recycled content making it the highest recycle content carpet available on the market. At the end of its useful life, it will be 100 percent recycled back into new carpet.
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Dual Flush Toilets provide two options for flushing utilizing 0.8 gallons or 1.6 gallons per flush, saving 67 percent more water than a standard toilet.
