Design Competition Proves The Green Life Can Be The Suite Life

October 27, 2009 at 1:02 PM | by Heidi Atwal | 0 Comments

A mock-up of the winning design

Be honest; when you hear the phrase "environmentally friendly," the sensation of scratchy hemp rubbing against your skin and the cloying smell of patchouli come to mind. Before we were familiar with the versatility of a green lifestyle, we thought the same thing. Hotels like Portland's The Nines have taught us otherwise, though, and once you get into the finer points of sustainable design, it's clear that luxury need not be pushed to the back burner.

All of the not-so-small environmental efforts that hotels are making these days�recycling, installing low energy bulbs, et cetera�are done with the hope that we'll live a brighter future. So it's only natural that eco-hospitality look to the next generation of green designers for innovation, not to mention to up their cool quotient. The Sustainable Suite Design Competition was created precisely for this purpose.

Sixty-five professional and aspiring young designers entered the contest, which called on them to come up with a hospitality design that would fuse form, function, eco-friendly technology, and an overall attractive look. The winning team from WATG/IDEO took an all-out futuristic approach, including an "all-off" switch that switches off room lights based on infrared sensors, solar energy to heat shower water, and an irrigation system to filter shower waters to landscaping.

Still sound not-so-sexy? Okay, how about this: a customized PDA with a map of green hot-spots, bicycles in the hotel lobby, fresh fruit and artisanal wine and cheese waiting in your room, and a room key that doubles as a train and bus pass.

WATG/IDEO have the chance to showcase their design at next year's Hospitality Design Expo in Las Vegas, but we think someone needs to turn this eco-imagining into reality sooner rather than later. What better way to prove that it is easy being green?

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