Certifications Are Just The Beginning

A recent article in Hotel Interactive has given us food for thought as we look back on the construction process of a hyperluxurious home.

…sustainable practices are now synonymous with new construction and many renovations.  It’s become so commonplace, major hotel companies are offering LEED-certified new construction prototypes and guests are beginning to expect hoteliers will be good environmental stewards. But even with as much progress as the lodging industry has made during the past few years, there will always be visionaries who keep trying to push the boundaries of what’s possible.

To them, LEED is just the price of entry into true sustainability. These folks are pushing ideas and concepts that turn buildings into building blocks for a better future…structures that enhance the environment, not tax it.

It’s great to see kindred spirits who believe that luxury and sustainability can coexist…and that certification is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to truly high-performance construction.  To truly further sustainability, a building must push the very boundaries of terms like “green” and “eco-friendly” that have become so weighed down by arbitrary standards and green washing.  And that’s what we’ve tried to do at 2002 Alpine…with extraordinary results.