PARSIPPANY, N.J.—Looking down on the roof of Wyndham Worldwide’s new headquarters on a sunny day could be hazardous to your eyes. The 83,000 square feet of white roofing on the top of the company’s new corporate headquarters building in Parsippany just might reflect the sun back at you. The white roof, which helps keep the building cool during the summer, is just one of the many green features found at Wyndham’s three-level corporate office. According to Faith Taylor, vice president, sustainability and innovation for Wyndham Worldwide, the complex opened earlier this year in February and more than 800 employees moved there in April. Wyndham is pursuing the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Commercial Interiors designation for the building. The company expects to earn LEED Silver for its efforts to make its new home a highly efficient and healthy place to work.
“We are just about half way through the commissioning process,” Taylor said. “That should be done by early next year.”
The 250,000-square-foot complex sits on 12.2 acres of land and consists of two buildings, one of which is the headquarters building pursuing LEED. Mack-Cali Realty Corp. developed the buildings and Wyndham also worked with design and architecture expert Gensler. Credit for the vision of the headquarters goes to Stephen P. Holmes, chairman and CEO of Wyndham Worldwide; Mary Falvey, executive vice president and chief human resources officer for Wyndham Worldwide; Frank Campana, senior vice president, corporate real estate for Wyndham Worldwide; and Faith Taylor. The visioning process for the building began two and one-half years ago.
“We really wanted to walk our green talk,” Taylor says. “We took the LEED initiative to heart. It was a collaboration of many groups.”
Construction Material Recycled
During its construction, about 80 percent of construction material was diverted from the local landfill. Numerous elements make the headquarters building efficient. Heating and cooling systems are zoned, energy-efficient lighting and motion sensors were installed, large windows maximize the potential for natural light to enter, low-flow toilets and faucets keep water consumption down, well water is used for irrigation, low-VOC (volatile organic compound) paint, carpeting and furniture was used throughout, and cubicle walls consist of recycled steel and aluminum and 100 percent recycled particleboard.
To reduce waste to landfill, single stream recycling is practiced throughout the facility. Taylor says moving to single stream improved employee participation by 30 percent. Each office has a separate waste basket for recyclables. Compostable trays, cups and other similar items are used in the employee cafeteria and café. The cafeteria itself is surrounded by windows—a significant improvement when compared to the windowless eating location in Wyndham’s previous headquarters. Meeting rooms feature clean, filtered air as part of the company’s Wyndham CleanAir initiative. Following a system designed by Cheektowaga, N.Y.-based PURE Solutions NA, Wyndham ClearAir rooms undergo a multistep cleaning process designed to remove up to 98 percent of allergens.
Wyndham’s green purchasing plan, part of its overall WyndhamGreen program, is reflected in its purchase of recycled paper products for bathrooms and the selection of FSC certified paper for directories. Thanks to a paper reduction campaign across the United States in Group RCI—a Wyndham company—direct-mail has been reduced by 5 million pieces. A total of $200,000 has been saved by Wyndham at its headquarters by going to centralized printing.
Food Partner Committed to Local Goods
In its food service operations, Wyndham works with ARAMARK, a company committed to sourcing as many local food items as possible through its Green Thread program. An on-site green team and green councils throughout Wyndham ensure the growth and practice of WyndhamGreen initiatives.
To encourage employees to drive less, amenities such as a gym, green dry cleaner (Green Apple Organic Dry Cleaning), credit union, café and cafeteria, and gift shop with items such as milk and eggs help reduce the amount of miles employees have to drive. Bike racks and convenient access to public mass transit encourage alternate transportation. Taylor says such amenities, plus the overall excitement of working in a new, healthy building, have greatly contributed to an increase in overall employee morale.
Wyndham is experiencing from 10 to 30 percent in efficiency improvements in the various green components it has invested in for its headquarters. It was recently recognized as a “Green Pioneer” by ConEdison Solutions for its commitment to environmental preservation and for purchasing renewable energy. Wyndham’s headquarters is 100 percent powered by wind through ConEdison. Wyndham also recently hosted a U.S. Green Building Council fundraiser that drew 300 people to its new home.
To learn more, go to Wyndham Worldwide.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
