On a visit to Napa County, you will soon be able to consider another color besides red or white. Green building is a trend ripening in the form of an eco-resort called the Gaia Napa Hotel...
Above & opposite: Construction has begun for “green” developer Wen Chang’s 135-room hotel in American Canyon. Building materials are eco-friendly. Plans include a living roof and a rain water lagoon.
Hotel Gaia: built to blend with nature
By Dan Sankey
Published: January, 2006
On a visit to Napa County, you will soon be able to consider another color besides red or white. Green building is a trend ripening in the form of an eco-resort called the Gaia Napa Hotel.
South San Francisco hotel developer Wen Chang is building the hotel on Highway 29 in American Canyon to woo the growing group of green-minded folks in the Bay Area.
The 135-room resort will boast many amenities aimed at easing the eco-conscience, not just the body. Chang has put in over five years and $18.5 million into the hotel he hopes will be the first to achieve LEED (Leadership on Energy and Environmental Design) certification, a standard for what constitutes a green building.
A living roof, recycled building materials, and a half-acre, swan-filled lagoon to hold recycled rain water are all part of Chang’s ideas for sustainability and harmony with nature.
My system is to blend with nature, but the ultimate goal is to also transform people’s consciousness, Chang said.
It’s not just an environmental building; it’s part of preserving our historical wetlands and setting standards for our city’s ‘smart growth.’ — Mark Joseph, American Canyon City Manager
Nurturing the guest is a key element to his design. It includes plans for a koi pond surrounded by lush gardens where you can pick herbs for the chef to create your dinner. People will not be satisfied with just a green building, Chang said.
But breaking new ground has been difficult. The original architect Mickey Muenning’s plans have been overhauled four times, due to the high cost. Oakland architecture firm Loisos and Ubbelohde had to part ways with Chang after rising expenses.
Firm founder George Loisos said that generally, green building can raise costs only 3-4 percent, but garnering a LEED certification can complicate matters.
(Costs) vary from building to building, Loisos said. It is not a simple process, it requires a broad base of knowledge, but at least LEED has tried to address the situation.
California is the birthplace of green building, established by Sim Van der Ryn during the late 70s, while he served as the official state architect.
(Van der Ryn) was extraordinary, Loisos said. He was instrumental in getting state codes to the level where they are today. State and federal standards are key in influencing building and material costs down, he said. Since the 70s, we’ve gone from green design being odd and peculiar, to mainstream. So much so that it is being seen as a commodity for the community of American Canyon.
Incorporated as a city in 1992, the gateway to Napa has been growing steadily from its core on Highway 29. City manager Mark Joseph and the city council felt so strongly about Gaia’s potential that they offered up to a million dollars in tax credits to ensure its creation.
Gaia is an exciting concept, Joseph said. It’s not just an environmental building, it’s part of preserving our historical wetlands and setting standards for our city’s ‘smart growth.’
Set backs have pushed the opening to a hopeful February day, but with room rates between $140-$180 a night the first guests curiosity will be sated reasonably. Chang already has two other eco-friendly hotels in the works in Merced and Anderson.
Most developer’s eyesight is three feet in front of them, Chang said. To take care of the environment is to take care of myself. It’s a big shift in thinking. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Gaia will offer a spa, convention rooms and a healthy kitchen. But along with the normal offerings, books on spirituality, guest bonding activities and all-natural cleaning products are included.
Chang’s a bit out there, said Joseph. But he’s been able to pull it all together. There are people who are on the cutting edge, but few are on the cutting edge with the money.
