The Hotel and Restaurant Management building, which underwent a major renovation in 2011, has been awarded a “Silver” rating from the Leadership Energy and Environment Design building rating system from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Built in 1988, the Hotel and Restaurant Management complex houses three buildings, including the former Inn at NAU, which was renovated and optimized with additional classrooms, advising offices and clinical lab space. It was designed by Flagstaff-based JWA Architects.
To achieve a Silver LEED rating, the renovation used sustainable and recycled materials and was built to be energy-efficient by maximizing natural lighting. It also reduced the building’s overall impact through such measures as replacing exterior lighting to be Dark Sky-compliant and composting the program’s food waste.
“This facility gives our HRM faculty the opportunity to teach future hotel and restaurant managers about sustainable design and operations,” said NAU President John Haeger, adding that the Silver rating further demonstrates the university’s commitment to sustainability.
The building adds to the growing list of buildings on the NAU Flagstaff campus built to LEED standards. The Applied Research and Development building remains one of the “greenest” buildings in higher education with a “Platinum” rating; the building that houses The W.A. Franke College of Business has a “Gold” rating and the Engineering building has a “Gold” rating.