Last Thursday, members of Counter Culture’s sustainability committee took a field trip to Greensboro,
The Proximity Hotel
NC to tour the sustainable fabulousness of one of our customers, the LEED Platinum certified Proximity Hotel and Printworks Bistro—the pair are notably the first in the hospitality industry to earn the highest tier of LEED accreditation. We were hosted by Dennis Quaintance, CEO and Chief Design Officer of Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels, and Tony Villier, Guest Services Coordinator at the Proximity and one of the hotel’s LEED experts. Our sustainability committee seeks inspiration from companies of all sizes working to reduce their environmental impact, and we were excited to hear how a company like Quaintance-Weaver, which maintains four North Carolina restaurants and two luxury hotels, made sustainability work for them.
Since they were the first within the hospitality industry to take sustainability to this level, Quaintance-Weaver had to blaze their own trail to a smaller footprint and reduced energy use and in the process, became educated on LEED tenets, sustainable building materials, wiser energy usage, and more. Quaintance told us that they didn’t start out with LEED Platinum certification as their goal—they just wanted to make as small an environmental impact as possible in building the hotel and restaurant, without breaking the bank or sacrificing guest comfort a big deal for the AAA Four Diamond rated hotel. As a result, the design team thought less in terms of what should be done to be the ‘greenest’, and what could ‘earn’ LEED credits, and instead considered what materials and sustainable design innovations made the most sense for a luxury hotel, restaurant, and their guests. The more the designed and built, they realized just how close they were to Platinum LEED certification, decided to go all the way, and made hospitality industry history.
Our group enjoyed coffee and a chat about green inspirations, process and general nuts and bolts in a light-filled lobby before Quaintance and Villier lead us through the hotel. Many of the green features aren’t necessarily visible to the naked eye we learned that the hotel used both recycled and local building materials wherever they made sense, and recycled 87% of construction debris when all was said and done. 90% of the hotel’s furniture was locally sourced, and local artists and craftsmen contributed art for the all the guestrooms and common spaces. Ample and abundant natural light reduces the need for artificial light sources, and energy efficient light bulbs are installed where additional lighting is required. Fresh outside air is cycled through the hotel, (more on that later) and the Proximity was the first place in North America to have regenerative drive elevators installed, which store and use energy generated on descent—so smart!
We walked through the Printworks Bistro and into the kitchen to see the hoods in the kitchen, a common energy drain for restaurants these hoods, however, employ sensors to adjust the power and speed according to the kitchen’s needs—usually 25% of their full capacity. Refrigeration units run on geothermal energy, which reduces water use.
One of my favorite ‘green’ design features was actually the lack of materials that are often used inside a hotel—Quaintance explained that structures like the Proximity are built of concrete, but the concrete is usually covered up by other materials to ‘finish’ a design scheme—particle board, wood, paint, trim, etc—the Proximity design team decided to try simply using less, and left much of the concrete structure exposed and largely unadorned, save a simple patina—the end result looks modern and clean, industrial chic. The concrete used in the Proximity’s construction actually contains 224,000 pounds of fly ash, a residue from coal combustion, diverted from local landfills. This exposed concrete appears throughout the hotel, and it was really remarkable to see the different ways it was featured; on its own with a glossy, multi-toned finish (my favorite!) or painted a smooth, crisp white—in a guestroom, Quaintance pointed out that the ceiling, which appeared to be salvaged and whitewashed wood planks, was actually the same concrete with another crafty paint treatment.
We toured a guest room, complete with energy efficient toilet, faucet and shower, features that reduce the hotel’s water usage by roughly 33% (and just a few of many details that were personally tested by Quaintance in his home before installation in the hotel), large windows that open so that guests can enjoy natural light and fresh air, and outlets the guest can turn off with a main switch before leaving the room (though some are left off the circuit so that plugged in items such as laptops and phone chargers can function).
Dennis Quaintance tends the solar panels on the roof of the Proximity Hotel
We then moved on up to what Quaintance and Villier referred to as ‘the penthouse;’ the hotel’s rooftop solar panel array and energy collection room. Over 100 panels (the largest solar array in North and South Carolina) are installed and collect energy that is used to heat water—enough hot water, in fact, for 100 homes, and about 60% of the total amount of water used by the hotel and restaurant.
It’s really cool to be on the roof of a hotel—it’s even cooler to be invited into the belly of the roof, so to speak, which we were, a control room of sorts where the solar panels and an innovative air circulation system do their business. One of my favorite ‘invisible’ features of the Proximity was the outstanding air quality, a result of a thoughtful and extensive circulation system that uses fresh outside air, which is tempered with warm exhausted air (genius!) and filtered before circulation throughout the hotel.
After the roof, we checked out one of the hotel’s private banquet rooms to see the natural light in action—on this day, the abundant light actually had been ‘dimmed’ by window shades to accommodate a presentation that had been held in the room. Even with the shades drawn, there was a remarkable amount of natural light. We took a peek at the genesis of what will become a green roof for Printworks—they’ve been testing a few native plants to see which will live most happily on the roof space—and walked outside to take in the adjacent natural open space area, including a restored stream with storm water management in place to prevent erosion.
It was an inspiring visit, and as our field trippers drove home, we talked about what we could take away and use as inspirational fodder for our own roasting plant in Durham — a place where we face a unique set of sustainability challenges. A message from Quaintance that stayed with us was that ‘being broke isn’t sustainable,’ and to that end, Quaintance-Weaver estimates that between state and federal tax credits and reduced energy bills, the building’s sustainable features will finish paying for themselves within 4 years. When we were discussing how expensive sustainability could be, Quaintance conceeded that building a LEED Platinum certified building did cost more, but more importantly, it also cost less and would continue to cost less over the course of its existence.
-Lydia
I find it amazing how so many baristas come out to support each other, compete against each other, brag about their shops, share photos of lattte art and above all travel to Raleigh, Durham and this month, Cary, to be a part of a growing community building event. La Farm Bakery hosted January’s Latte Art Throwdown and the numbers were high. 15 baristas from all over the triangle area signed up. The level of talent made the judging a bit of a challenge, but after a tie-breaking “throw-off”, “throw-up”, sudden death match between two co-workers from Cafe Driade, Michael emerged as the champ winning with a beautiful tulip design.
(Raleigh – For Immediate Release) The North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA), the trade association representing the state’s $17.5 billion restaurant and lodging industries, awarded its prestigious Restaurateur of the Year award to Sara Foster, owner of Foster’s Market in Chapel Hill and Durham, North Carolina. Foster will receive her award at the first annual Taste of North Carolina, which will be held on February 8, 2010, at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club of Durham, NC from 6-9pm.
Another year of intense throwdowns are ahead and this month is no different. La Farm Bakery in Cary, NC will host this month’s Latte Art Throwdown, Smackdown, Milkdown or whatever you call it in your shop or city, you just have to be there! Will we have a new winner or will one of the past winners sweep Cary, NC as well? Who knows, you can never tell at one of these events. 
I am a huge fan of the Shrimp BLT with havarti, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on toasted sourdough. Pair the sandwich with the Parker & Otis House Blend and you have a winning combination. Well balanced, the coffee has a smoky chocolate and nutty finish which compliments the toasted sourdough nicely. The tomatoes in the BLT bring out some of the muted brightness of the blend carrying the mellow brightness into the smooth aftertaste that, combined with the shrimp flavor, pleasantly lingers all the way back to my desk where I long for one more bite. We are talking about an explosion of savory notes that dazzle the palate, but you don’t have to take my word for it ….
