The Gaia Hotel is the first commercial hotel in the country to have received LEED Gold certification by the US Green Building Council, thereby distinguishing itself as the first truly green commercial hotel in the United States.
The Gaia Napa Valley Hotel's more than 100 green features include solar electric systems, daylight in every space, passive heating and cooling strategies, a lagoon that provides habitat for native aquatic birds, an ozone laundry system, high-efficiency Mitsubishi "Citi-Multi" HVAC systems, FSC-certified wood, dual-flush toilets and waterless urinals, and zero-VOC (volatile organic compound) finishes.
The hotel is designed with natural storm-water drainage, which uses percolation ponds and winter marshes to collect rainwater on the site, where it eventually percolates into the ground instead of emptying into a municipal storm drain. The winter marshes increase habitat for aquatic species and the percolating rainwater recharges the groundwater table.
Hotels are cost-sensitive buildings; designing them to meet LEED Gold standards takes a good deal of research and cost planning. Moreover, because LEED was originally developed for commercial office buildings, applying LEED criteria to hotels posed an added challenge. The Gaia and Atman hotels are certain to become models for green hotels nationwide; Todd Jersey Architecture is proud to participate in this pioneering development.
For more information regarding our LEED Gold certification, please review the following official reports from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Gaia LEED Online Scorecard and Status
Gaia USGBC Final Review
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