Holiday Inn Project Includes LED Lighting Retrofit

Green Overhaul by Michael Maher Located in the D.C.-metro area of Gaithersburg, Md., the B. F. Saul Company Hotel Division’s two-year, $9 million Holiday Inn renovation project began in 2007 as part of the hotel chain’s worldwide campaign to re-launch its brand with a more contemporary image, showcase improved quality and drive consistency. The project included a complete upgrade of the hotel’s exterior and substantial improvements to the interior, all guided by the Holiday Inn “Our Big Green” mission of conserving resources, reducing and recycling waste, and examining the latest in sustainable building methods and products. Numerous ecologically oriented construction strategies were implemented in the overhaul of the 300-room, 35-year-old hotel. “We conducted this renovation with a clear-cut focus on our very real commitment to protecting the environment for future generations, as well as the long-term good of the community,” said Melvin Nichols, the hotel’s general manager.  As part of a complete exterior upgrade and substantial interior improvements, the project incorporated a variety of environmentally responsible and recycled materials, as well as water- and energy-conserving products. “The intent was a soup-to-nuts employment of the latest in sustainable construction,” said Jim Walent, AVP/capital asset manager at B.F. Saul Company Hotel Division. “From low-VOC paints and coatings, to recycled material-based carpet and wall coverings, to low-flow bathroom fixtures and LED lighting, we looked at all the ways to advance the hotel’s structure well into a sustainable future.” One of the largest and most notable project components in the area of energy efficiency was a complete window replacement initiative. Seeking a window solution that provided a combination of high energy ratings, modern aesthetics and improved sound abatement, B.F. Saul Company approached REHAU for advisement on the latest in commercial curtain wall window systems. “The Holiday Inn Gaithersburg project included aggressive goals we felt were ideally achieved by employing our latest REHAU-Polytec 50 hybrid curtain wall system, which we’ve recently introduced into the North America commercial construction market from Europe,” said Mike Maher, Eastern region commercial sales manager, windows and doors, a For Fullarticle please visit-http://www.sustainablefacility.com/copyright/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000792459?view=print t REHAU .     Michael Maher is Commercial Sales Manager - East Region at REHAU. He has been with REHAU in Leesburg, Va., for 30 years and has more than 25 years of experience in the vinyl window and door industry, currently leading REHAU’s efforts in North America with green building technologies to assist owners, architects, engineers and general contractors in combining an energy-efficient envelope featuring high-performance openings with radiant heating / snow & ice-melt solutions that are sourced with geothermal technology.