WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. recently announced the opening of Element New York Times Square West. The first Element hotel to open in New York City, Element New York Times Square West is one of the city’s greenest properties and located in the center of fast-paced Times Square. Element, Starwood’s green trailblazer, continues to make history as the first major hotel brand to mandate that all its properties pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Element’s energizing, eco-chic environment offers bright public spaces, smart design, and modern...

SKOKIE, ILL.—Each year in the United States, more than $35 billion in direct property loss is caused by natural disasters. Yet, while states and municipalities are seeking to adopt ordinances that require “green” or “sustainable” construction, they are overlooking disaster-resistance construction. To allow local governments to adopt green building codes that address high performance as well as conventional sustainable features, the Portland Cement Association (PCA) and the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) have developed High Performance Building Requirements for Sustainability 2.0. The criteria are written in mandatory language that amends and appends the International Code Council International Building...

SAN MARCOS, TEXAS—Philips Wide-Lite, a leading manufacturer of sustainable lighting products, unveils a new family of indoor and outdoor RGB LED floodlights that allows users to simply “paint” with light—thanks to four levels of dynamic color-mixing control. Designers seeking to better integrate lighting solutions with dynamic color mixing schemes now have the flexibility and diversity to do so, thanks to the innovative Color-Tune technology that TAG offers. Color-Tune allows the user to control everything directly at the fixture. Simply power up a TAG luminaire for the first time and 16 million color possibilities are available. Push the Color-Tune button to...

BANGKOK—Dining at Soneva Kiri by Six Senses is anything but ordinary and has now been taken to new heights, with the recently launched Treepod Dining experience. The Treepod is situated at one of the best vantage points the resort offers, a few yards along the coastal path from the resort’s main facilities on the west facing side of the island. Guests board the rattan bird’s nest at ground level and fasten their leather seatbelts to be gently hoisted 16 feet into the tall, native massang trees. The Pod is outfitted with comfortable cushioned seating for up to four diners....

FEDERAL WAY, WASH.—iLevel by Weyerhaeuser will soon provide builders and dealers with an easy way to recognize that all of its manufacturing facilities are certified to the SFI Certified Fiber Sourcing standard. In addition to a plan to include an SFI Certified Fiber Sourcing logo on product wrap, the company will be stamping the logo on each lumber and engineered wood product piece by the end of January. Builders can quickly spot these products in lumberyards and visibly demonstrate during construction their commitment to using responsible materials. The SFI Certified Fiber Sourcing Standard indicates that iLevel knows where all of...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Last month, the total footprint of commercial projects certified under the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED Green Building Rating System surpassed one billion square feet. Another six billion square feet of projects are registered and currently working toward LEED certification around the world. “This traction demonstrates the transformation of the way we design, build and operate buildings,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. “Not only does green building contribute to saving energy, water and money, it also creates green jobs that will grow and energize our economy.” The milestone is a testament to the global effort...

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—For the second time in three years, Valley Forge Fabrics received Editors’ Choice distinction during the opening ceremony of the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show in New York City. The awards program recognizes products within the categories of design, equipment & supplies, guest amenities, linen, technology, as well as an eco-friendly equivalent to each of these categories. Valley Forge won in the Linens category for the Expand-A-Grip bedding product. Valley Forge Fabrics, A leader in sustainable textiles and the largest producer of decorative fabrics for hospitality, introduced the Expand-A-Grip product earlier this year. Featured on the Valley...

MCLEAN, VA.—Home2 Suites by Hilton, the newest and fastest growing brand in the history of the Hilton Worldwide portfolio of brands, announced it will build its first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified hotel in Lexington Park, Md. As the brand’s fifth U.S. property to break ground, this will also be the first LEED certified hotel in Southern Maryland. Scheduled for completion in Q1 2012, the 100-suite, four-story hotel will be owned by Lexington Park Hotel Partners III and managed by Cherry Cove Hospitality Management, LLC. The hotel will be constructed by Herman/Stewart Construction of Lanham, Md., one...

GRATON, CALIF.—Ceilume, manufacturer of decorative ceiling tiles, announced the launch of its sustainable ceiling tile collection. The tiles are made from the company’s new Ceilume-P40-Plus, a proprietary material with 60 percent recycled content (40 percent post-consumer, 20 percent pre-consumer) which diverts soda and water bottle waste from landfills. Ceilume Sustainable tiles set a new standard for environmental responsibility in the ceiling tile industry, and received recognition in the 2010 American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Bloom Awards in the Innovative Materials category. In addition to using 80 percent less material than conventional tiles, Ceilume Sustainable tiles are fully returnable at...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—American Clay Enterprises, Inc.’s new PlasterPlus offers a hard, yet repairable, no-VOC (volatile organic compound) finish for the cost of a high quality, zero-VOC paint job.  PlasterPlus is sold dry in 27 lb. lots through select commercial distributors, and is intended for hospitality projects. The polymer binder has no VOCs, is mold resistant, easy to apply, and can contribute up to eight LEED points. American Clay has been used for numerous commercial/industrial jobs to date—from hotels (including Disney) and retail to schools and spas. Now with PlasterPlus, American Clay can replace paint more equitably. Adding the completely repairable binder...