With a design reflecting a blend of Napa Valley’s agrarian character and the high refinement associated with its wines, the recently opened Bardessono boutique hotel exemplifies green and the indoor/outdoor character of local living.

Located in Yountville, Calif., the 62-room luxury project includes a spa with four treatment rooms, a 75-foot-long rooftop infinity pool, a fine-dining restaurant and a meeting space — all designed by destination design firm WATG. The project, which is pursuing LEED Platinum certification, uses solar and geothermal energy, sophisticated energy management systems, sustainable building materials and organic landscape management practices.

Natural light provided by a skylight helps illuminate the “lobby” and sculpture in the public toilet area.

Bardessono’s design focuses on sustainable design principles and enhancing the guest experience. From site design to the interior controllability of the guestroom, Bardessono connects to the environment through the use of materials, exterior gardens and spaces, as well as to the Yountville community. As with many spaces in the town, the pairing of public spaces within private developments shows a commitment to keep density low and the impacts of development minimal. This project preserves views of the mountains to the east and west, is as unobtrusive as possible from the street/pedestrian experience and remains as visually “natural” as the buildings nestle into the landscape.

The grand Oak tree which was saved from the original site is showcased on the southern edge of the spa courtyard and water feature. PHOTOS BY SAM DYESS.

Personal Touches

Personal touch permeates the inn’s culture. For example, there is no front desk at Bardessono. Hotel staff instead greets guests individually as they walk in the door. There is a personal chef, an organic garden and private outdoor showers for upgraded guests. Bikes and electric vehicles are also provided, and educational signage appears throughout the site to explain the various sustainable design aspects of the hotel’s buildings and landscape, giving depth to its environmental stewardship. Ultimately, the benefits of sustainable design are available to each guest as a lifestyle at Bardessono.

Green Design Elements

Some of the sustainable design features of the property include:

• Seventy-two 300-foot-deep geothermal wells to heat and cool guestrooms and to provide hot water.
• 940 solar panels on the buildings’ flat roofs, hidden from view by parapets that produce 200 kW of power.
• Rammed-earth sculptural walls and 100-year-old olive trees.
• Paving stones and sand for the entrance road, to allow water to seep into the soil, and valet parking, which will allow guests to walk — rather than drive — throughout the property.
• Automatically-controlled exterior Venetian blinds to let in the sun and heat early in the day and out later in the day.
• Dual-pane glass, designed to take advantage of natural light while controlling glare and heat gain.
• Fluorescent bulbs and light-emitting diodes. Everything electric in the rooms is on motion-detectors that shut them off when a guest leaves. When they return and put their key in the door, the current is turned back on.
• Dual-flush toilets and low-flow fixtures that save water.
• Filtered water, which takes the place of bottled water.
• Drought-resistant landscaping and underground emitters for outdoor watering.
• Reuse and treatment of gray and black water for irrigation through Yountville’s water system.

Sidebar: Bardessono

Location: Yountville, Calif.

Size: 55,000 built square feet on a 214,000-square-foot lot, comprised of four guestroom clusters (62 guestrooms), restaurant and meeting area, and separate spa building.

Opened: February 2009

Certification: Pursuing LEED Platinum

Website: www.bardessono.com

Architectural Design Firm: WATG (www.watg.com)

Green Materials:

• Cast Stone Pavers (interior, exterior, stair treads and risers): Sonoma Cast Stone (recycled content).
• Energy Management Systems: in-room control systems, InnCom International.
• Geothermal Energy Systems.
• Organic Cotton Bed Linens and Towels: Coyuchi
• Organic Landscape Management: drip irrigation system; Green Mountain Technologies “Earth Tub” for onsite composting as specified by the state/organic society for reuse in the onsite garden.
• Plumbing Fixtures: waterless urinals from Kohler; dual flush toilets from TOTO; low-flow lavs from Cifial, showerheads from Hansgrohe.
• Rammed Earth Walls
• Roofing: Duro-Last PVC Roofing Membrane
• Solar Panels: Sunpower Solar Design and Installation, Premier Power – Northern California; Exterior Horizontal Venetian Solar Shades by Solar Shading Systems.

Sidebar: Topping Off the Bardessono

PHOTO BY SAM DYESS.

The Duro-Last roofing system has been installed on the Bardessono Inn & Spa in Yountville, Calif. The spa opened in February 2009, and anticipates LEED Platinum certification later this year. Five separate spa buildings are protected by almost 80,000 square feet of the Duro-Last’s single-ply PVC roofing system.

The spa’s prefabricated roofing system was installed by authorized contractor Fidelity Roof Company of Oakland, Calif. Fidelity is also an approved installer for SunPower, the manufacturer of the PowerGuard solar electrical system that will provide electricity to the spa.

The Duro-Last roofing system is a key component of this sustainable construction project. The white membrane has reflectivity and emittance characteristics that exceed California’s Title 24 building requirements. Because it’s prefabricated, less on-site waste is produced during installation. As a company, Duro-Last recycles manufacturing scrap back into roofing membrane or other construction products. Unlike other roofing materials, the Duro-Last system is also recyclable at the end of its useful life.

Steve Ruth, Duro-Last vice president of sales, said, “This project makes a strong environmental statement, and we’re proud to be an important part of it. The fact that the Duro-Last system has been installed on the Bardessono facility reinforces our leadership in the sustainable roofing arena.”