COSTA MESA, CALIF.—Cadiz Design Studio continues to work with Xanterra Parks and Resorts in revitalizing their Grand Canyon South Rim properties. Located on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, the 198-room Yavapai East building now offers its guests upgraded, eco-conscious amenities. Renovations included designs that honor the beauty of the National Park’s landmark. The rooms have been transformed to showcase the park’s natural surroundings through the use of indigenous patterns, textures and colors. Green initiatives include U.S. manufactured furnishings and fabrics shipped within 500 miles of the site. Carpets and textiles contain significant amounts of recycled content and can...

WARWICK, N.Y.—Impact Enterprises, Inc. was recently awarded the 2011 ADEX Award for Design Excellence for two of its product designs. The ADEX PLATINUM Award for Design Excellence was presented to Impact for its creative and uniquely designed Surfboard Menu Cover. This menu cover design is solid wood, cherry, and has the unique shape of an authentic surfboard. This menu “board” comes with its own solid wood base which allows the board to stand vertically on a table-top, and be removed and reinserted easily. A unique wood frame was created for the “interior” side of the surfboard that allows for...

LAGRANGE, GA.—InterfaceFLOR, LLC officially rolled out its Interface Hospitality division at HD Expo in Las Vegas. Dozens of new designs have been added to the initial library of modular carpet tile patterns that specifiers will be able to access when composing a floor covering for their hospitality projects.  “Whether it’s for guestrooms, corridors or public spaces, Interface Hospitality is ready with a solution that’s equally attractive as it is practical,” said Charley Knight, vice president of Interface Hospitality. “DYF—design your floor— is the Interface Hospitality mantra, because what we’re offering is an extensive selection of patterns that can be...

HEALDSBURG, CALIF.—h2hotel, a progressively-designed hotel located just off the historic town plaza in Healdsburg, announced that it has been awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification and is the first LEED Gold certified hotel in Sonoma County. “Green design was a necessity and a natural progression for us,” said managing partner Paolo Petrone, who also co-owns Hotel Healdsburg. “Designed to use 27.8 percent less energy than the standard hotel in California, we have created an environmentally-conscious hotel without sacrificing comfort and style. h2hotel is a hotel that Healdsburg can be proud of. We continuously strive to be...

SAN DIEGO—Graham Downes Architecture, a Southern Californian design firm, announces completion of preliminary design for The Royal Beach Resort, a 25-acre seaside resort in the Eguafo District, on the Cape Coast Central Region of Ghana. The Royal Beach Resort is Central Africa’s very first luxury eco-resort and will offer the latest leisure standards based on the most current principles of sustainable development. The boutique property provides unique entertainment and relaxation programs—it is a health-oriented, recreational retreat that will attract both continental and overseas visitors; appealing to business, recreation and also family guests. Lodging accommodations comprise 120 suites where the accent is...

NATIONAL REPORT—“Green leather.” An oxymoron? Or, a viable option for designers interested in specifying environmentally friendly materials? The more one digs into the history of leather and its processing, the more one can be alarmed by its environmental impact—from the growing of grain, to the slaughter of animals, to the processing of hides. Yet, in recent years many leather suppliers have done a better job offering lines of leather that have less environmental impact than ones traditionally sold. That is good news for designers interested in using leather for furniture, walls, floors and other design aspects of a hotel...

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—Valley Forge Fabrics will debut the newest FRESH innovation, Tencel+Plus Lyocell Eucalyptus Upholstery, during the Hospitality & Design Expo in Las Vegas, May 18 to 20, 2011. This natural fiber has been engineered for the rigors of hospitality upholstery use and is the latest textile to compliment the company’s extensive sustainable fabric collection called FRESH. Valley Forge Fabrics, a leader in sustainable textiles, launched its FRESH initiative more than five years ago. FRESH is an acronym for Fabrics Redefining Environmental Standards for Hospitality. Tencel+Plus Lyocell products are the only certified textiles from Eucalyptus verified by Lenzing Fibers for...

SYRACUSE, N.Y.—America’s newest, environmentally sustainable hotel is now open near the campus of Syracuse University. Hotel Skyler is only the third hotel in the United States to seek Platinum certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Woodbine Group, owners of the Genessee Grande and Parkview hotels, renovated the former Temple Adath Yeshurun building—constructed in 1921—to create a one-of-a-kind 58-room boutique hotel. Hotel Skyler features some of the most advanced green design elements of any hotel in the United States. The building is heated and cooled with a geothermal heat pump, just...

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), which serves as the purchasing arm of the U.S. government and oversees more than $60 billion in purchased goods and services annually, now requires Gold Level certification to NSF/ANSI 140 Sustainability Assessment for Carpet for all broadloom (wall-to-wall) carpet and carpet tile purchased through the GSA. Current GSA carpet suppliers have until January 1, 2012, to certify their products to NSF/ANSI 140 Gold Level in order for their carpets to be considered for purchase through the GSA. NSF International, an independent organization committed to protecting human health and the environment,...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—The Hotel Andaluz announced that it has been awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). LEED is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. The hotel is the only historic property to be certified LEED Gold in the Southwest and the second in the United States. “The Hotel underwent a $30 million dollar renovation in 2009 with an eye on sustainability,” explained Gary Goodman, owner of Hotel Andaluz. “At the top of our priority list was long-term sustainability and...