FAROE ISLANDS—For those of you not familiar with their location, the Faroe Islands are a North Atlantic archipelago located 200 miles north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway between Norway and Iceland. Like Greenland, it is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Last October, the 130-room Hilton Garden Inn Faroe Islands opened on the islands in Torshavn with a bundle of unique green features. Green Lodging News recently corresponded with Kate Mikesell, VP Corporate Responsibility, Hilton, and Martin Restorff, General Manager of the hotel, to learn about those green gems. For Kate Mikesell, VP Corporate Responsibility, Hilton: Q: Explain how...

ATLANTA—LG Hausys’ HI-MACS solid surface brand is introducing its new Wood Collection and adding four new colors to its Aurora Collection. Reflecting nature-inspired patterns and hues, the new colors can meet a variety of commercial interior design needs where calm and serenity is needed. As its name implies, the Wood Collection is a tribute to the timeless beauty of natural wood. The collection is unique in its ability to display intricate, realistic wood grain patterns and knots. Ideal for healthcare and other commercial spaces, its warm undertones and gentle essence intuitively brings a sense of calm and restoration. As a...

DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.—Serge Ferrari North America is now offering Stamskin Top Club, a new leather-grain texture for the already popular Stamskin Top upholstery range. Available in 15 modern colors, Stamskin Top Club emulates the look of worn leather yet provides a much better cost–performance ratio, especially in demanding environments such as outdoor, marine and hospitality. Together, Stamskin Top and Stamskin Top Club offer 48 colors from which designers and manufacturers can choose. Rated as a heavy-duty material, Stamskin Top Club withstands more than 600,000 double rubs in Wyzenbook testing (ASTM D4157). Phthalate free and GreenGuard certified for indoor air quality,...

WEST LAFAYETTE, IND.—Concrete is not glamorous. It is the workhorse of building materials: versatile, durable, and almost universally ubiquitous, with 30 billion tons of concrete produced every year. Cement, a component of concrete, produces 8 percent of the world’s carbon footprint. Looking to lower that percentage, Purdue University engineers have discovered a way to make concrete more sustainable. Their new recipe for concrete has the potential to cut carbon emissions dramatically, creating building blocks for a better world. A team lead by Mirian Velay-Lizancos, an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at Purdue, proposes adding small amounts of nanoscale titanium dioxide to...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA—His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince, Chairman of The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC), has launched the Coral Bloom concept, which was created by architectural firm Foster + Partners, and designed to blend in with the island’s pristine natural environment. TRSDC, the developer behind the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism project, has since shared the striking vision for its main hub island at the destination, Shurayrah. “We expect guests to be awed by what they see when they first arrive at The Red Sea Project, enjoying a truly immersive barefoot luxury experience. The Coral Bloom designs,...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—BuildingClean.org, an online tool that links the energy, housing, and health sectors together, announced the addition of building enclosure products to its American-made building product database. “We are excited to expand our database to include building enclosure products,” said BlueGreen Alliance Foundation National Program Manager Dana Saylor. “These products—from drywall to brick—are crucial to the construction of every building. Using American-made building products helps guarantee a reliable supply chain. It also sustains more than 4,600 building product manufacturing facilities across the United States. Energy-efficient products and recycled building materials alone support more than 320,000 American manufacturing jobs.” The new building...

Earlier this year I updated Green Lodging News readers about the reach of the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED green building program in lodging. For those of you who missed that column, there were 2,132 lodging projects either registered or certified as of December 16, 2020. The most LEED hotel projects are in the United States—1,253. For those of you interested in the reach of LEED at a more general level by state, USGBC recently released its annual list of the Top 10 States for LEED green building with Massachusetts leading the country in 2020 with the most certified...

BUENA VISTA, FLA.—Eight decades after McDonald’s restaurant revolutionized a speedier way to prepare and serve meals, the fast-food giant is once again setting new standards in the industry, laying the groundwork for a more ecologically responsible place to dine. The façade of the 8,000-square-foot McDonald’s at Disney World in Buena Vista, Fla., not only appears strikingly different than its traditional restaurant chain, but every segment of the building has been meticulously designed to create the world’s first “net-zero” fast food restaurant. “It’s McDonald’s goal to reduce its carbon emissions across its portfolio,” said Jean Gibbons, WSP USA Buildings Vice President. “McDonald’s...

SHANGHAI, CHINA—Marriott International, Inc. announced the highly-anticipated opening of JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai Fengxian, marking the historic 50th Marriott International hotel to open in Shanghai. Located on Hangzhou Bay in the city’s Fengxian seaside district, just an hour’s drive south of metropolitan Shanghai, the new hotel promises to be a sophisticated and luxurious sanctuary designed to let guests relax and rediscover a sense of balance in mind and body, as well as a convenient gateway to Shanghai and nearby cities such as Hangzhou and Suzhou. “We are delighted to celebrate the opening of the 50th property in Shanghai, a testament...

SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.—Snowmass Base Village (SBV) introduces the all-electric and appropriately named Electric Pass Lodge. Designed to be 100 percent powered by renewable energy, this development will be one of the first of its kind in the country. The building will include 53 ski-in/ski-out, for-sale residences at the base of the iconic Snowmass Ski Area. “If you own a home at a ski resort, you’re inherently invested in the preservation of snow,” says Andy Gunion, Roaring Fork Valley Managing Partner for East West Partners. “Nobody wants their ski home to contribute to climate change, but the reality is most do—either...