These 10 hotels embody environmental sensitivity plus energy and water efficiency.

Hotels consume more energy and water per square foot than just about any other building type, according to the ULI report Sustainability in Hotels: Opportunities and Trends Shaping the Future of Hospitality. At the same time, guests are paying closer attention to a hotel’s environmental impact when choosing where to stay. As an additional incentive, design strategies that cut energy and water consumption pay off in lower utility bills.

The following 10 projects—all completed during the past five years—include adaptations of a film warehouse, a tire factory, an airport terminal, and an oil company’s headquarters, as well as newly constructed buildings that reduce energy waste with ethernet cables, integrate photovoltaics into their facades, and deploy cooling methods borrowed from African termites.

RON NYREN is a freelance architecture and urban design writer based in the San Francisco Bay area.

(Courtesy of CitizenM)

1. CitizenM Seattle South Lake Union
Seattle, Washington

Amsterdam-based CitizenM opened its first West Coast hotel in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood in 2020. The seven-story building consists of 264 rooms in modular units that were prefabricated and finished off site, a strategy that minimizes construction waste as well as cost. The local office of engineering firm Arup adapted the modular cage design of other citizenM hotels to meet the stringent requirements of local seismic codes.

The heating and cooling system conserves energy by relying on an active chilled beam in each room, a dedicated outdoor air supply, and heat pumps that capture excess heat to pre-warm domestic hot water. CitizenM’s smartphone app allows guests to check in, open the room’s doors, and control the lighting, blinds, room temperature, and entertainment options. An art piece by local artist Jesse LeDoux wraps a corner of the facade. The hotel was designed by the Amsterdam-based design firm Concrete in collaboration with the local office of Gensler.

(OZ/Valentijn Kortekaas)

2. Four Elements Hotel
IJburg, Netherlands

Ben Bronsema of Voorschoten, Netherlands, studied the techniques that African termites use to moderate temperatures inside their mounds. The Four Elements Hotel draws on his findings, relying on the sun and wind to heat and cool its 198 guest rooms as a kind of natural air-conditioning system. The 11-story structure has two solar chimneys facing southwest. These glazed vertical voids use sunlight to heat air, which rises through a heat exchanger that captures it for the building’s water supply. An underground thermal energy storage area captures any excess heat for later use.

As the warm air rises, it draws outside air down through another vertical shaft, the “climate cascade,” where sprays of water cool or heat it for ventilation. This passive design strategy reduces the need for mechanical fans. Guests can control their room temperatures and the level of air flow. Photovoltaic cells cover the facade, rooftop, and canopies to provide energy. Completed in 2019, the hotel was designed by Amsterdam firms OZ and NwA architecten and Stockholm-based Doos Architects for developers Amstelius/Dutch Green Company of Amsterdam and Borghese Real Estate of Nijkerk, Netherlands.

(Hornberger + Worstell)

3. Grand Hyatt at SFO
San Francisco, California

The only on-airport hotel at San Francisco International Airport, the Grand Hyatt at SFO provides views of airplanes landing nearby through its curved glass facade. Designed to be 26 percent more energy efficient than a typical hotel of the same size, the building has rooftop photovoltaic panels that generate 133,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. Occupancy sensors power down lighting, heating, and cooling in rooms when guests are absent in order to lower electricity consumption.

Low-flow faucets and shower heads, cooling towers with high-performance water-flow controls, and efficient-flush toilets are estimated to save 6.7 million gallons (25.4 million liters) of water each year. The hotel’s dual plumbing system will enable it to use reclaimed water for toilet flushing and irrigation. Guests can reach the hotel via an automated people mover that also connects to rapid transit and local and regional bus service lines. Designed by local firm Hornberger + Worstell with its associate ED2I, the hotel opened in 2019.

(Bruce Redman Becker, FAIA)

4. Hotel Marcel New Haven, Tapestry Collection by Hilton
New Haven, Connecticut

When noted modernist architect Marcel Breuer designed a brutalist structure for the Armstrong Rubber Company in 1967, he inserted a two-story void between the research labs on the lower levels and the offices above, shielding offices from noise and giving the building its distinctive profile at the intersection of two interstate highways. Though listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the structure (later the Pirelli Tire Building) was largely abandoned in the late 1990s until local architect/developer Bruce Redman Becker’s firm Becker + Becker purchased it in 2020. Becker adapted the concrete building as the Hotel Marcel with the goal of creating a net zero energy hotel.

Opened in 2022, the all-electric, 165-room hotel relies on a rooftop solar array as well as solar canopies over the parking area to generate all its electricity. A power-over-ethernet (PoE) lighting system minimizes the amount of energy required for lighting. High levels of insulation and triple-glazed windows keep heating and cooling costs low. The design team, which also includes Brooklyn-based interior designer Dutch East Design, retained existing board-formed concrete and repurposed other building materials from the site, including light fixtures and wood-paneled walls.

(Anders Fredriksen)

5.House of Choice
Solna, Sweden

In the Arenastaden neighborhood of Solna, the House of Choice brings 336 hotel rooms, 88 long-stay apartments, and offices for the Swedish headquarters of Oslo-based Nordic Choice Hotels under one roof—a roof with a sawtooth shape that maximizes the amount of energy its photovoltaic panels can generate. The entry facade, which faces south, is also covered with solar panels made of different sheets of glass: dark gray and ribbed, dark gray and smooth, and pearl beige. Etching on the solar panel glazing adds further visual interest.

Solar panels are also integrated into the roof of the light-well courtyard. A ground-source heat pump system with 25 boreholes supplies cooling and heating. Opened in 2021, the building is targeted to generate more electricity than it consumes. White Architect of Gothenburg, Sweden, designed the building for Solna-based developer Fabege and Nordic Choice Hotels.

(Julie Soefer Photography)

6.Lodge at Gulf State Park
Gulf Shores, Alabama

Gulf State Park Lodge opened on state parklands on the Gulf of Mexico in 1974; 30 years later, Hurricane Ivan destroyed it. The site was abandoned until another disaster, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, ironically provided settlement funds to build a new lodge and heal the surrounding dune ecology. Sasaki of Watertown, Massachusetts, oversaw restoration of the 6,150-acre (2,490 ha) park. The existing manmade dune was removed and dune grass planted to encourage the natural growth of sand dunes, enhance wildlife habitat, and protect the site from future storm surges.

Lake/Flato of San Antonio and Rabun Architects of Atlanta designed the new five-story, 350-room lodge on a much more compact footprint than that of its predecessor, set well back from the Gulf. Shaded porches and natural ventilation moderate temperatures inside. Pervious parking lots allow stormwater to percolate into the ground, and air-conditioning condensation is collected, filtered, and used to supplement water in the swimming pool. Guests have access to new trails and a 900-acre freshwater fishing lake. Operated by Hilton, the lodge opened in 2018.

(Brandon Barre Photography)

7. The Sinclair, Autograph Collection
Fort Worth, Texas

Sinclair Oil Holdings built its 17-story Fort Worth headquarters in 1929 with a zigzag modern exterior and art deco interiors, embodying the Texas oil boom’s exuberance. More than 90 years later, the structure has found new life as a hotel with cutting-edge energy-saving technology. Farukh Aslam, chief executive officer of local company Sinclair Digital, purchased the building in 2013 and chose a PoE system to supply electricity for lighting, automatic window shades, smart mirrors, and minibars. Because PoE reduces the energy loss that comes from converting AC power to DC, the light fixtures also run much cooler, relieving strain on the air-conditioning system.

The system is estimated to reduce the hotel’s energy use by more than 30 percent. Occupancy sensors and smart thermostats conserve electricity as well. Opened in 2020, the hotel forgoes a diesel generator in favor of a lithium-ion battery as its backup system during power outages. Dallas-based Merriman Anderson Architects renovated the exterior, and the Dallas office of Forrest Perkins handled interior design.

(Tom Ross)

8. Paramount House Hotel
Sydney, Australia

In the Surry Hills neighborhood of Sydney, local developer Citadin repurposed the 1940s art deco headquarters of Paramount Pictures Australia as the Paramount House, containing a cinema, bar, café, and coworking space. In 2018, Citadin revamped the adjoining 80-year-old film warehouse as the 29-room Paramount House Hotel. Architecture firm Breathe of Brunswick, Victoria, topped the three-story brick warehouse with a copper screen to give guest-room balconies privacy from the street while filtering daylight. The screen’schevron patterning references the streamline modern style of the Paramount House next door.

The design team minimized building waste by using locally sourced and recycled materials, such as recycled timber floorboards. Historic brickwork is exposed, with remnants of former stairwells, parapets, gable ends, and joists visible in places. Every guest room is different in shape. A former film vault turned atrium contains the reception lounge. On the roof, a seven-kilowatt photovoltaic array contributes to the building’s electricity supply.

(David Mitchell)

9. TWA Hotel
New-York, New-York

When the TWA Flight Center opened in 1962 at JFK International Airport, its design, by noted modernist architect Eero Saarinen, embodied flight in the building’s sweeping curves. The air terminal closed in 2001, its future uncertain. The Port Authority of New York restored core interior spaces, and the local office of hotel owner/operator MCR/Morse Development added an underground event space and deferentially set new hotel wings back from the historic structure, which houses restaurants, shops, a ballroom, and a fitness center. A triple-glazed curtain wall provides both thermal and acoustic insulation.

Opened in 2019, the hotel produces all its own energy with a highly efficient cogeneration plant that runs on natural gas and recaptures engine heat for hot water and space heating. Ultra low flow water fixtures reduce water use. Roof and plaza drains pump stormwater into the airport’s watershed storm system for filtering. Local firm Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners served as project and preservation architect in a team with Brooklyn-based Lubrano Ciavarra Architects and New York City-based firms INC Architecture & Design and Stonehill Taylor.

(Nick Caville/BDP)

10. Wren Urban Nest
Dublin, Ireland

Opened in 2021, the 137-room Wren Urban Nest hotel relies on 100 percent renewable energy by means of a variety of carbon-reduction strategies. Heating and cooling are supplied by air source and water-to-water heat pumps, with help from a high thermal mass, a tight building envelope, and a design that shares solar heat gain from one side of the building with the other during the winter . In warmer months, heat gain is diverted to the building’s hot water system.

The designer, the Dublin studio of BDP, equipped the west elevation with a folded, glazed facade that halves the time of exposure to direct afternoon sunlight at any given period. Smart building technologies turn off lights and heating/cooling as well as automatically close and open blinds when guest rooms are unoccupied. A vegetated roof and a stormwater runoff system help filter and absorb stormwater. The hotel’s kitchen uses induction stoves, and the local community can access the kitchen’s food waste through an app.

More in This Issue:

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Prestigious Honors Bestowed on Paso Robles, Calif.-based JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery, the Restaurant and its Locally Sourced Tasting Menu from Executive Chef Rachel Haggstrom

PASO ROBLES, Calif., Dec 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery is proud to announce that The Restaurant at JUSTIN has received a coveted MICHELIN Star – one of the culinary industry’s highest recognitions – as a part of the 2022 MICHELIN® Guide California as well as a MICHELIN Green Star for its sustainability practices. The Restaurant at JUSTIN is one of four restaurants in the nation to receive both a MICHELIN Star and a MICHELIN Green Star. The Restaurant at JUSTIN is led by Executive Chef Rachel Haggstrom and showcases the ultimate California food and wine experience with dishes created from the freshest local ingredients.

The Restaurant at JUSTIN has received a coveted MICHELIN Star – one of the culinary industry’s highest recognitions – as a part of the 2022 MICHELIN® Guide California as well as a MICHELIN Green Star for its sustainability practices. Led by Executive Chef Rachel Haggstrom, The Restaurant at JUSTIN is one of four restaurants in the nation to receive both a MICHELIN Star and a MICHELIN Green Star.

The one-of-a-kind dinner experience at JUSTIN Vineyards and Winery features a 4-course prix fixe menu exuding understated excellence and the finest in California cuisine. Complemented with pairings from JUSTIN’s award-winning wines and sweeping views of the vineyards, the restaurant brings an elevated culinary experience to the wine country of Paso Robles.

A MICHELIN Star is awarded to restaurants offering outstanding cooking with five universal criteria: quality of ingredients, harmony of flavors, mastery of techniques, the personality of the chef as expressed through their cuisine, and consistency across the entire menu over time. The MICHELIN Green Star highlights restaurants at the forefront of the industry when it comes to their sustainability practices. First revealed in 2020, the MICHELIN Green Star was introduced into several of the 2021 editions of the MICHELIN Guide.

“This recognition from MICHELIN is an incredible testament to the pursuit of excellence we strive for every day,” said Clarence Chia, senior vice president of marketing, eCommerce and direct-to-consumer for JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery. “From our award-winning wines to our sustainability practices and now our MICHELIN Star status, we are proud to embody the JUSTIN mantra of ‘exceptional from every angle’ in everything we do. We are incredibly proud of Chef Haggstrom and the entire hospitality team at JUSTIN Vineyards and Winery on this tremendous accomplishment.”

Story continues

Currently, 95% of the ingredients on the seasonal rotating menu are sourced locally from either the 26-acre garden at JUSTIN Vineyards and Winery or local purveyors and farmers throughout the Central Coast, with The Restaurant at JUSTIN being one of the largest purchasers at the local farmer’s market. The garden is home to a 150-tree orchard, edible flower fields, and features exotic fruits, vegetables, herbs and an apiary; all of which supply ample ingredients.

“The culinary industry is driven by passion, artistry and creativity with a constant strive for perfection. I love watching each day as ingredients cultivate within the garden, steps away from the restaurant, to then translate to the plate, and finally how that dish not only nourishes the person, but their soul,” said Executive Chef Rachel Haggstrom. “Recognition from MICHELIN for doing something I love is a dream come true, and simply surreal. I’m truly honored to be among the ranks of chefs that I consider my heroes and my mentors.”

Chef Haggstrom and team purposefully purchase the “less than perfect” produce from local vendors, rescuing these items from becoming food waste, supporting the local supply chain and showing these locally sourced items in pasta fillings, desserts and beautifully plated dishes.

Established in 1991, when Paso Robles was just in its early days and there were no other restaurants for several miles, The Restaurant at JUSTIN became a beacon to the community with a long legacy of excellence that followed. Accolades include Wine Spectator’s 2017 Restaurant Award, in honor that recognizes top restaurants with a great wine program, as well as 17 consecutive years of receiving Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence which highlights restaurants featuring a well-chosen wine list of quality producers, along with a thematic match to the menu in both price and style. Most recently, the Restaurant at JUSTIN ranked second for Best Winery Restaurant in USA Today’s 10Best Reader’s Choice Travel Awards 2022 and ranked first in California. The restaurant also received a gold award for sustainability from Elite Traveler in 2022 for its environmental practices.

A California-native, Chef Haggstrom joined JUSTIN in 2019 and is best-known for her upscale farm-to-table cooking style that draws influence from the state’s bounty of fresh, seasonal produce, allowing her a wide variety of ingredients that bring California’s seasons to the plate. She completed her degree from California Culinary Academy – Le Cordon Bleu in san francisco and then worked her way through the kitchens of various elite culinary destinations including “The Dining Room,” the MICHELIN Star restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco, the former “Postrio” by Chef Wolfgang Puckand Thomas Keller’s three MICHELIN star restaurant, The French Laundry. Most recently, Haggstrom served as the Executive Chef at the Balboa Bay Resort before landing in her current role as Executive Chef of The Restaurant at JUSTIN.

Nestled in the rolling hills of Paso RoblesThe Restaurant at JUSTIN is open for dinner Thursday – Sunday with seatings available from 6:30 – 8 p.m. Reservations are required and can be made at JUSTINWine.com.

About JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery
located in Paso RoblesJUSTIN Vineyards & Winery was founded in 1981 and is known for crafting world-class wines using Bordeaux grape varieties, including the iconic ISOSCELES blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. The vineyard estate, located at 11680 Chimney Rock Road, features a tasting room, luxury five-star accommodations at the JUST Inn, and a restaurant – making it one of few wineries on the Central Coast to offer all three options. In Sept 2018a new, second location, JUSTIN Downtown, opened, introducing an expansive wine-tasting bar, lounge, and a full dining room that’s situated prominently on the square along Downtown City Park in the heart of Paso Robles. In addition to its stellar hospitality, JUSTIN consistently receives top honors around the world, establishing itself as a leader in new-world Bordeaux-style winemaking. JUSTIN wines are available through discerning fine-wine retailers and restaurants throughout the United States, or directly from the winery via JUSTIN’s Tasting Rooms, online store, or to members of the exclusive JUSTIN Wine Society wine club. To discover more about JUSTIN, visit www.justinwine.com.

(PRNews photo/Justin Vineyards & Winery)

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SOURCE JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery

The post The Restaurant at JUSTIN Awarded MICHELIN Star and MICHELIN Inexperienced Star appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Prestigious Honors Bestowed on Paso Robles, Calif.-based JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery, the Restaurant and its Locally Sourced Tasting Menu from Executive Chef Rachel Haggstrom

PASO ROBLES, Calif., Dec 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery is proud to announce that The Restaurant at JUSTIN has received a coveted MICHELIN Star – one of the culinary industry’s highest recognitions – as a part of the 2022 MICHELIN® Guide California as well as a MICHELIN Green Star for its sustainability practices. The Restaurant at JUSTIN is one of four restaurants in the nation to receive both a MICHELIN Star and a MICHELIN Green Star. The Restaurant at JUSTIN is led by Executive Chef Rachel Haggstrom and showcases the ultimate California food and wine experience with dishes created from the freshest local ingredients.

The Restaurant at JUSTIN has received a coveted MICHELIN Star – one of the culinary industry’s highest recognitions – as a part of the 2022 MICHELIN® Guide California as well as a MICHELIN Green Star for its sustainability practices. Led by Executive Chef Rachel Haggstrom, The Restaurant at JUSTIN is one of four restaurants in the nation to receive both a MICHELIN Star and a MICHELIN Green Star.

The one-of-a-kind dinner experience at JUSTIN Vineyards and Winery features a 4-course prix fixe menu exuding understated excellence and the finest in California cuisine. Complemented with pairings from JUSTIN’s award-winning wines and sweeping views of the vineyards, the restaurant brings an elevated culinary experience to the wine country of Paso Robles.

A MICHELIN Star is awarded to restaurants offering outstanding cooking with five universal criteria: quality of ingredients, harmony of flavors, mastery of techniques, the personality of the chef as expressed through their cuisine, and consistency across the entire menu over time. The MICHELIN Green Star highlights restaurants at the forefront of the industry when it comes to their sustainability practices. First revealed in 2020, the MICHELIN Green Star was introduced into several of the 2021 editions of the MICHELIN Guide.

“This recognition from MICHELIN is an incredible testament to the pursuit of excellence we strive for every day,” said Clarence Chia, senior vice president of marketing, eCommerce and direct-to-consumer for JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery. “From our award-winning wines to our sustainability practices and now our MICHELIN Star status, we are proud to embody the JUSTIN mantra of ‘exceptional from every angle’ in everything we do. We are incredibly proud of Chef Haggstrom and the entire hospitality team at JUSTIN Vineyards and Winery on this tremendous accomplishment.”

Currently, 95% of the ingredients on the seasonal rotating menu are sourced locally from either the 26-acre garden at JUSTIN Vineyards and Winery or local purveyors and farmers throughout the Central Coast, with The Restaurant at JUSTIN being one of the largest purchasers at the local farmer’s market. The garden is home to a 150-tree orchard, edible flower fields, and features exotic fruits, vegetables, herbs and an apiary; all of which supply ample ingredients.

“The culinary industry is driven by passion, artistry and creativity with a constant strive for perfection. I love watching each day as ingredients cultivate within the garden, steps away from the restaurant, to then translate to the plate, and finally how that dish not only nourishes the person, but their soul,” said Executive Chef Rachel Haggstrom. “Recognition from MICHELIN for doing something I love is a dream come true, and simply surreal. I’m truly honored to be among the ranks of chefs that I consider my heroes and my mentors.”

Chef Haggstrom and team purposefully purchase the “less than perfect” produce from local vendors, rescuing these items from becoming food waste, supporting the local supply chain and showing these locally sourced items in pasta fillings, desserts and beautifully plated dishes.

Established in 1991, when Paso Robles was just in its early days and there were no other restaurants for several miles, The Restaurant at JUSTIN became a beacon to the community with a long legacy of excellence that followed. Accolades include Wine Spectator’s 2017 Restaurant Award, in honor that recognizes top restaurants with a great wine program, as well as 17 consecutive years of receiving Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence which highlights restaurants featuring a well-chosen wine list of quality producers, along with a thematic match to the menu in both price and style. Most recently, the Restaurant at JUSTIN ranked second for Best Winery Restaurant in USA Today’s 10Best Reader’s Choice Travel Awards 2022 and ranked first in California. The restaurant also received a gold award for sustainability from Elite Traveler in 2022 for its environmental practices.

A California-native, Chef Haggstrom joined JUSTIN in 2019 and is best-known for her upscale farm-to-table cooking style that draws influence from the state’s bounty of fresh, seasonal produce, allowing her a wide variety of ingredients that bring California’s seasons to the plate. She completed her degree from California Culinary Academy – Le Cordon Bleu in san francisco and then worked her way through the kitchens of various elite culinary destinations including “The Dining Room,” the MICHELIN Star restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco, the former “Postrio” by Chef Wolfgang Puckand Thomas Keller’s three MICHELIN star restaurant, The French Laundry. Most recently, Haggstrom served as the Executive Chef at the Balboa Bay Resort before landing in her current role as Executive Chef of The Restaurant at JUSTIN.

Nestled in the rolling hills of Paso RoblesThe Restaurant at JUSTIN is open for dinner Thursday – Sunday with seatings available from 6:30 – 8 p.m. Reservations are required and can be made at JUSTINWine.com.

About JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery
located in Paso RoblesJUSTIN Vineyards & Winery was founded in 1981 and is known for crafting world-class wines using Bordeaux grape varieties, including the iconic ISOSCELES blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. The vineyard estate, located at 11680 Chimney Rock Road, features a tasting room, luxury five-star accommodations at the JUST Inn, and a restaurant – making it one of few wineries on the Central Coast to offer all three options. In Sept 2018a new, second location, JUSTIN Downtown, opened, introducing an expansive wine-tasting bar, lounge, and a full dining room that’s situated prominently on the square along Downtown City Park in the heart of Paso Robles. In addition to its stellar hospitality, JUSTIN consistently receives top honors around the world, establishing itself as a leader in new-world Bordeaux-style winemaking. JUSTIN wines are available through discerning fine-wine retailers and restaurants throughout the United States, or directly from the winery via JUSTIN’s Tasting Rooms, online store, or to members of the exclusive JUSTIN Wine Society wine club. To discover more about JUSTIN, visit www.justinwine.com.

SOURCE JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery

The post The Restaurant at JUSTIN Awarded MICHELIN Star and MICHELIN Inexperienced Star appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

After years of serving as a rental unit, the third level of a 1906 San Francisco town house was finally purchased by a couple who deeply appreciates its Victorian architecture. But before they could enjoy the bay windows, patinated hardwood floors, and ornate molding, they needed to peel back layers of haphazard updates. Interior designer Clara Jung stepped in to refresh the home, highlighting the original details while adding a cool-toned contemporary edge.

BEFORE: Original bay windows provide treetop views.

“The clients wanted to bring it back to life, but, obviously, overlay a modern take on it,” explains the Banner Day Interiors founder and principal. “We weren’t going to recreate historically accurate elements, like tiles and trim, but we wanted to pay homage and make sure that the new look integrated well with what was left of existing features.”

Clara also maintained the traditional layout of the long, narrow footprint. It’s separated into distinct rooms, aside from the blended kitchen-dining-living area. The previous owners had knocked down dividing walls to create an open-concept social hub, which Clara gladly embraced. “Honestly, there was no structural work done,” she reveals—but the transformation was still dramatic.

The post Shades of Blue and Inexperienced Rejuvenate This San Francisco Victorian Home | Architectural Digest appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

After years of serving as a rental unit, the third level of a 1906 San Francisco town house was finally purchased by a couple who deeply appreciates its Victorian architecture. But before they could enjoy the bay windows, patinated hardwood floors, and ornate molding, they needed to peel back layers of haphazard updates. Interior designer Clara Jung stepped in to refresh the home, highlighting the original details while adding a cool-toned contemporary edge.

BEFORE: Original bay windows provide treetop views.

“The clients wanted to bring it back to life, but, obviously, overlay a modern take on it,” explains the Banner Day Interiors founder and principal. “We weren’t going to recreate historically accurate elements, like tiles and trim, but we wanted to pay homage and make sure that the new look integrated well with what was left of existing features.”

Clara also maintained the traditional layout of the long, narrow footprint. It’s separated into distinct rooms, aside from the blended kitchen-dining-living area. The previous owners had knocked down dividing walls to create an open-concept social hub, which Clara gladly embraced. “Honestly, there was no structural work done,” she reveals—but the transformation was still dramatic.

The post Shades of Blue and Inexperienced Rejuvenate This San Francisco Victorian Home | Architectural Digest appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Robert L Green
March 20, 1931 – December 14, 2021
A VISIONARY ENTREPRENEUR IN HEALTH CARE AND EDUCATION
by Nicole V. Gagné
“In the many organizations Bob launched during his lifetime, the focus was always the element of community service, seeking to make the world a better place,” says attorney Raymond P. Haas of his friend Robert L. Green, entrepreneur, educator, and Philanthropist, who passed away on December 14, 2021, at the age of 90. Known as a pioneer in social entrepreneurship, Green devoted his life to expanding the fields of health care and education in the US and abroad, founding Community Psychiatric Centers, the largest chain of investor-owned psychiatric hospitals in the United States, as well as Vivra Inc., the nation’s second-largest provider of dialysis services. Green was a co-founder of both San Francisco University High School, one of the city’s premiere private college preparatory high schools, and Education Partners, which improved reading and math outcomes for upwards of one million elementary school students from marginalized communities across the country. Green was also an active supporter of numerous creative and educational institutions throughout the Bay Area, including KQED, SFMOMA, Stanford University, and University of California, Berkeley.
Green’s lifetime of entrepreneurial creativity was fueled by his optimism and positivity, which served as an inspiration to his colleagues and students as well as his daughters and grandchildren. His hard work produced not just success but also profound innovation, and all who knew him took his example to heart. A visionary thinker who proved to be ahead of his time in numerous fields, Green launched Sutter Capital Corporation, one of the Bay Area’s first venture capital firms, in the early 1960s. With Sutter Capital he explored a wide range of business opportunities, from nursing homes to trout farms and donut shops; ultimately he turned his energies toward health care and founded Community Psychiatric Centers (CPC) in 1968.
Under Green’s leadership, CPC developed an expanding network of psychiatric hospitals, in which the costs for patients were significantly reduced. Government-run hospitals had ordinarily involved long stays for patients, which could last for years. The development of tranquilizers and psychotropic drugs allowed for shorter hospital stays, and CPC rose to the occasion of this new demand for acute short-stay hospitals, providing placements for shorter hospitalizations. Green led CPC to achieve eighty consecutive quarters of growth in the two decades from 1969 to 1989. CPC went public and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in 1978, and Forbes magazine described the firm as “the class act of the country’s psychiatric hospital chains.” CPC went on to purchase Priory Hospital, the oldest and largest private psychiatric hospital in London. That expansion in turn formed the basis of England’s Priory Hospitals Group, which grew into England’s largest provider of private acute psychiatric care.
A further outgrowth of CPC was the establishment of Vivra Inc., which also went public under Green’s leadership. The roots of Vivra (French for “will live”) can be traced back to 1973, when CPC purchased a trio of medical units specializing in hemodialysis treatments. CPC expanded this dialysis division to over 170 dialysis centers throughout the United States, serving some 12,000 patients, in independent facilities as well as in hospitals nationwide. In 1989 it became the independent company Vivra, with Green as President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board of Directors.
While still engaged with CPC in the early 1970s, Green followed his equally strong commitment to education and became a co-founder, along with Haas, of San Francisco University High School (UHS), a private college preparatory high school that opened in 1975. Green served on the UHS board until the late 1970s. “It couldn’t have happened without Bob,” Haas recalls. “He was essential in the financial planning and management of UHS. Bob had outstanding business acumen and knew how to get to the essence of things. His approach to analysis was to simplify matters – without over-simplifying them. He could focus on the key drivers and get to the heart of what was important.”
Green’s most far-reaching contribution to American education came in 1995, when he teamed with educator and entrepreneur Adam Berman to create Education Partners (EP), with Green serving as Chairman and Berman as President and CEO. “Bob was a social-impact entrepreneur who was thoroughly passionate about health care and education,” Berman explains, “and he was eager to raise the level of academic achievement for financially disadvantaged children. I had learned about Johns Hopkins’ evidence-based reading program through a friend of Bob’s, and Education Partners brought that reading program into schools Title 1. The aim was to help schools rethink what was being taught and how students were being taught, assessed, and tutored, so that each child could reach their potential .”
EP brought these programs to 200 schools, training principals in providing leadership as well as teachers in the skills to implement evidence-based reading programs. EP also published materials for the program, developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, in another 1600 schools. Teachers and principals proved eager to implement these programs and embraced the new possibilities. As a result, students in the programs excelled, jumping ahead in reading by more than a year in comparison to their peers at similar schools.
“Through both our training and publishing divisions, we impacted one million children in over 1800 schools across the United States,” notes Berman. “Bob was a wonderful, remarkable person – one of my dearest mentors in life as well as business. He was a role model for me. I am truly indebted to him and so grateful for the opportunity he provided to develop myself, not only as an entrepreneur but also as a person.”
Another facet of Green’s commitment to education and community can be seen in the time he spent teaching a popular class in entrepreneurship at UC Berkeley; there were also the numerous talks and public speaking engagements he gave during the CPC years, bringing humor and insight to the business and financial topics that were his specialty. Always learning and evolving even after his retirement, Green was in his seventies when he returned to UC Berkeley and earned his master’s degree in creative writing.
An important supporter of San Francisco’s non-profit public media outlet KQED, Green served as a trustee and vice-chairman. When KQED was pressed financially, he arranged for EP to rent office space there, creating a workplace for upwards of 100 EP employees. The broader range of Green’s philanthropic activities included his work as a supporter of both the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and “The Next Generation Campaign” of American Conservatory Theater; he also served as a trustee of Mount Zion Hospital and was a donor to the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.
Born on March 20, 1931, in Los Angeles, Green experienced the loss of his father, Dr. Leonard Green, when young Robert was 12 years old. An only child, he demonstrated his innate ambition and entrepreneurial instincts at an early age, selling bottles of Coca-Cola on the beaches of Santa Monica. He eventually went on to attend Stanford University, and after a stint in the US Army, Green attended Stanford Law School. Later in life he would establish two endowments at Stanford, the Robert L. Green Undergraduate Scholarship Fund and the Robert L. Green Athletic Scholarship Fund.
During his years at Stanford Law School, Green renewed his boyhood friendship with Alan Sieroty, who would become a Democratic politician and California State Assemblyman and State Senator. “Bob had a degree in accounting as well as law,” Sieroty recalls, “and very few students do that.” After marrying Susan Wolf of San Francisco, Green joined the San Francisco law firm of Heller, Ehrman, White, and McAuliffe. While working there, as Sieroty relates, “he would get up early in the morning and investigate other businesses, which finally grew into starting his own business.” Green’s creative outlook and entrepreneurial spirit led him to quip to his fellow lawyers, “I’d rather be the client,” and he left the firm to found Sutter Capital Corporation. A quintessential self-made man, Green founded Community Psychiatric Centers later in the decade, initiating a lifetime commitment to putting his business skills to work in the furtherance of community service.
Green’s restless creativity envisioned numerous other enterprises over the years, ranging from a chain of burrito stores to a new cologne line. One new business he oversaw in his last years brought him into the field of viticulture, with the 12-acre green vineyard purchased along with a home in the Napa Valley. There he established Green Vineyard, adding another dimension to his creative expression and entrepreneurial drive. With Green Vineyard, he found great satisfaction in sitting outdoors and looking at the gardens with the love of his life, Susan. It was in his Napa home, near his garden and the lush vineyard which inspired him, that Green passed away at the end of last year, surrounded by his family.
Green’s lifelong impulse was always to see the possibilities and potentials of life’s circumstances. These were the qualities that informed his talent as a mentor to so many others, which kept him active long into his retirement and which vitalized his urge to continue learning from the people around him. His attitude was perhaps best characterized by the witty poem of Florence McLandburgh, which he adopted as a personal motto:
Twixt optimist and pessimist,
The difference is droll.
The optimist sees the donut;
The pessimist, the hole.
Robert L. Green is survived by Susan, his wife of 64 years; his daughters Wendy DeWald and Julie Green; and his grandsons Noah DeWald, Joshua DeWald, and Dylan Smith.

Published by San Francisco Chronicle on Jun. 8, 2022.

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Clara also maintained the traditional layout of the long, narrow footprint. It’s separated into distinct rooms, aside from the blended kitchen-dining-living area. The previous owners had knocked down dividing walls to create an open-concept social hub, which Clara gladly embraced. “Honestly, there was no structural work done,” she reveals—but the transformation was still dramatic.

BEFORE: “It was clear that there wasn’t an eye towards design during the prior remodel of this home,” Clara admits. “It was more of a ‘get it done and rent it out’ philosophy.”

NACH: “On the left side of the kitchen is this custom artwork that they commissioned, which is so cute,” Clara says. “It’s by this well-known artist in San Francisco named Paul Madonna. He did a sketch of the front of their house.”

Christopher Stark

In the cookspace, Clara ripped out the chocolate-hued cabinets that reeked of the early aughts, replacing them with a mix of sleek white and rich walnut cupboards. She paired them with boldly veined marble countertops, bar stools for entertaining, and seafoam green pendants that match the adjacent plant room, where flora thrives in abundant natural light.

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St. John’s, Newfoundland–(Newsfile Corp. – March 14, 2022) – Environmentally friendly and socially responsible technologies have become important differentiators in business, while adhering to governance norms. Atlantic Standard (HVAC) is a licensed heating and air conditioning company who has taken the initiative of reducing Canada’s carbon footprint through energy-conserving heating and cooling solutions to provide greater impact for Canadian communities for the last two years.

Using a sustainable business model, the company creates, delivers, and captures value for all stakeholders without depleting natural, economic, and social capital. Atlantic Standard has established partnerships with leading energy manufacturers and retailers whose core products focus on environment first compliance. The partnerships include retailers such as LG, paving the newest way to conserve energy with solutions like the LG ThinQ, a heating and cooling solution which is eligible for Canada’s Greener Homes Grant and is also ENERGY STAR® certified integrating AI advanced technology.

The company additionally teamed up with another local green-tech company making big leaps across the globe, Mysa (Smart Thermostats), to offer free smart thermostats to customers who purchase a heat pump through them. This has led to the advent of alternative strategies that have been able to reduce customers’ bills and enable them to have more money while also enabling them to contribute back to energy conservation.

In addition to eco-friendly objectives, greater social impact initiatives have been expanding in tandem. In collaboration with local community programs, the company also offers supporting programs, systems, and opportunities focused on providing individualized support to young people, celebrating their unique characteristics, and ensuring they have the tools they need to succeed in the world. Due to this, they are committed to supporting organizations that help the next generation thrive and help make a real difference in the lives of our most vulnerable adolescents. It has also made successful adaptations to changing environments and management as a source of durability and sustainability.

Story continues

In addition to offering in-house financing for its solutions, Atlantic Standard offers its customers an Air Miles Reward Program, which enables customers to earn and redeem miles for travel and merchandise at local retailers, thereby contributing to green initiatives.

Atlantic Standard HVAC is excited about the future in becoming a global leader in innovation while having a focus on an eco-friendly planet.

For more information please visit company information below:

Website- https://atlanticstandardhvac.com/

Email info@atlanticstandardhvac.ca

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/atlanticstandardhvac/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AtlanticStandardHVAC

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/116175

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By Alexandra Mae Jones

Click here for updates on this story

TORONTO (CTV Network) — A new study suggests that commercial buildings with low-flow water design could have safety issues when it comes to water quality, in part due to water sitting stagnant for longer periods of time.

Researchers studied the water quality in a three-storey commercial building in Indiana over three weekends between January and February 2020.

Their goal was to find out if water quality changed over the weekend when fewer people were in the building, and thus even less water than usual was moving through the pipes.

The answer appears to be yes, according to the findings published Wednesday in the journal PLOS Water.

“Weekend stagnation influenced chemical and biological water quality, with clear differences in several parameters on Friday, after a week of use, and Monday, after a weekend with relatively little use,” the study stated.

Although the study was conducted prior to the pandemic, the findings bring up concerns that commercial buildings which sat nearly empty for months during lockdowns could still have lingering water quality issues stemming from that time.

The building that researchers looked at was one of the more than 100,000 buildings in the US that has a green certification with the United States Green Building Council. These are buildings that were designed, among other things, to reduce the amount of water being used for tasks compared to regular buildings, all in the name of making the building more eco-conscious.

This means less water flows through the plumbing. But while this can have benefits of conserving water, there are questions that remain about what affect this could have on the quality of the water.

Researchers took samples from 12 locations within the building, including areas such as bathroom sinks or kitchen taps. Sampling was done on Friday evenings and Monday mornings for three weeks in order to measure the water quality before and after each weekend.

They then tested the samples for pH, metals, ions, and Legionella bacteria, a strain of bacteria that can grow and spread in water system and potentially cause a severe form of pneumonia known as Legionnaires’ disease.

Inside the building, water traveled through soldered copper piping. Water from the city’s public water system was “used for drinking, appliances and cleaning, while rainwater was collected and piped separately for toilet flushing and irrigation,” the study said.

When comparing the different sampling locations, researchers found that water quality differed depending on the faucet, possible due to the frequency with which certain fixtures were used, researchers stated.

Levels of Legionella were found at their highest in a specific bathroom sink and shower in the same bathroom on the first floor. The shower was not used by anyone during the entire study, and the sample was taken from the plastic shower hose.

“Shower hoses have been implicated as a unique biofilm growth niche that can support pathogens,” the study noted, adding that water could’ve sat stagnant in the shower tube for weeks or even months prior to sampling.

In terms of how the water changed over the weekend when there was less use, researchers found a clear increase in copper and lead levels in the water over the weekend.

In sampling locations fed by one specific pipe, there were higher levels of copper in the water than what is considered a level healthy enough for drinking water.

They also found chlorine levels fluctuating, with Monday levels consistently lower than Friday’s — something that is concerning because of chlorine’s role in keeping microbial growth like Legionella from occurring inside plumbing.

Researchers did not find a significant change in Legionella bacteria numbers between Friday and Monday, and noted that no Legionella pneumophila, the more dangerous type of the bacteria, was found in the building.

And while the water quality clearly changed over the weekend when there was less use, researchers did not fully untangle the mechanisms between stagnation and water quality.

While heavy metals are known to leach from pipes more when water is sitting stagnant, researchers didn’t find consistent trends when comparing the levels of chemicals to the hours of stagnation believed to have occurred in each setting before sampling. More comprehensive recording of water usage is needed in further research to draw more complete conclusions, researchers said.

But they say it’s clear more investigation needs to be done.

“The water use patterns in office buildings, with consistently low to no use on weekends, raise additional water quality concerns for the first users on Monday mornings,” researchers stated.

This study doesn’t mean we should abandon water-saving practices or write off green initiatives — but more research may help create parameters that make sure safety keeps pace with eco-friendly advancements, the study suggests.

“The first people in the office on a Monday morning May, in fact, be using contaminated drinking water,” authors added in a press release. “To better understand if the water we are using is safe, much more water testing at the faucet must be conducted. Plumbing design standards and codes must also be revised.”

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Sonja Puzicsonja.puzic@bellmedia.ca

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GREEN BAY, Wisconsin — There will be no shortage of drama as the Green Bay Packers host the San Francisco 49ers in an NFC divisional playoff game next weekend.

There’s the Packers’ decade-long quest for another Super Bowl. There’s Packers coach Matt LaFleur’s icy relationship with his colleague Kyle Shanahan. There’s Green Bay’s playoff story against San Francisco. And there’s the next tune in Aaron Rodgers’ potential “last dance” season with the Packers.

As No. 1 in the NFC playoffs, the Packers earned the first-round bye and the right to host the lowest remaining seed of the wildcard weekend. That’s sixth-ranked San Francisco, who upset Mike McCarthy’s third-ranked Dallas Cowboys by 11:17 on Sunday.

The Cowboys bounced back from a 23-7 deficit and had an opportunity when Niner’s All-Pro offensive tackle Trent Williams was called out for a false start in what would have been a crucial quarterback sneak with 40 seconds left. Dallas started at 20 with 32 seconds remaining. A trick play won 20, a screen won 10, and another finisher gained 10 more to the Niners’ 40 with 14 seconds to go. Dak Prescott climbed to the 24 of the 49ers, was tackled within bounds and time was up when the official spotted the ball.

The rematch between the Packers and 49ers could be played on Saturday — and maybe in the primetime slot. In the past 20 years of the playoffs, the NFC and AFC have each had a divisional playoff game on Saturday and another on Sunday. Since the winner of Monday night’s Cardinals-Rams game will almost certainly play in Tampa Bay on Sunday, the Green Bay game could go ahead on Saturday.

In any case, it will be cold, although perhaps not bitterly cold.

The Packers defeated the 49ers 30-28 in Week 3. In a game that pitted two of the NFC’s supposed – and eventual – powerhouses, the Packers won in dramatic fashion.

Trailing 28-27 with 37 seconds and zero timeouts, Rodgers connected with Davante Adams for gains of 25 yards to midfield and 17 yards to the 33-yard line. After the second close, Rodgers jabbed the ball and vigorously pumped his fist into position with Mason Crosby to win the game with a 51-yard field goal.

Crosby did just that – the kick was almost blocked – and sparked a big celebration as the Packers pulled off the excitement.

“It felt like it was such a growth moment for us,” Rodgers said afterwards. “I’m really glad the guys are feeling that, and it feels like, ‘OK, now we’re on our way. Now we can go for it, now we know how to win and we can take this thing in the right direction.’”

Looking ahead, not looking back, a disparity in Green Bay’s favor is revenue. Green Bay finished third in the league with a revenue gain of 13. It ranked first in the league with 13 giveaways. it had 10 before the backups spat it out three times in Detroit. The 49ers finished 22nd with minus 4.

A mismatch in San Francisco’s favor is the red zone. Green Bay ranked 23rd in red zone defense while San Francisco ranked first in red zone offense.

Green Bay’s new and potentially improved offensive line, with left tackle David Bakhtiari and center Josh Myers, who has returned from knee injuries to start against Detroit, is being tested by the 49ers’ excellent defensive line. Even with Nick Bosa on concussion log for much of the game, San Francisco recorded five sacks and 14 quarterback hits, limiting Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott to 31 yards on 12 carries (2.6 average).

The Packers haven’t won the Super Bowl since 2010. To keep the season alive and earn a third straight NFC Championship game, Rodgers must avenge some bad playoff stories. Rodgers was picked from the playoffs three times by the 49ers: 37-20 in the 2019 NFC Championship Game in San Francisco, 23-20 at Lambeau Field in the 2013 wild card round, and 45-31 in the Divisional Round in San Francisco.

This season, the 49ers’ offense ranked 13th with 25.1 points per game, seventh in total offense (375.7 yards per game) and first in yards per game (8.2). Defensively, they ranked 12th with 21.5 points allowed per game, but third in overall defense (310.3), third in sack percentage (8.8) and seventh in terms of that Goal before goal (63.3 percent touchdowns).

“Lots of cleats” was Rodgers’ take on the 49ers’ defense ahead of the September game.

A few more notable numbers:

The Packers went 5-1 against playoff teams, including 5-0 against Rodgers. The 49ers went 5-4 including their win over Dallas.

With Rodgers leading the passer rating lead, the plus-20.5 rating difference ranked the Packers fourth in the league. The 49ers ranked 17th, up-2.5, despite Jimmy Garoppolo completing at least 70 percent of his passes and averaging at least 9.0 yards per attempt in his last three games of the regular season. However, he only had a 67.4 rating against Dallas.

Going 7-2 on the stretch, the 49ers outscored those nine teams by an average plus 11.3. The Niners were third in yardage differential, once contrary to what is believed to be a dangerous team. They ran 169 yards against the Cowboys.

Green Bay was the least penalized team in the NFL, while San Francisco had the worst penalty yardage differential.

The Packers and 49ers shared eight playoff games. Overall, Green Bay leads the series 38-32-1.

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