OBERLIN, Ohio
The Hotel at Oberlin will open on Sept. 13, 2016, a 70-room property designed to be one of the most environmentally sustainable hotels in the world. Owned by Oberlin College, The Hotel at Oberlin is the first in the U.S. to incorporate solar, geothermal and radiant heating and cooling, and is one of only five hotels in the U.S. to qualify for LEED Platinum certification.
Architecture
The Hotel at Oberlin was designed by the Chicago-based architectural firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB); the creative process was led by SCB Principal Jim Curtin, AIA.
“The building had to be visually engaging because of the artistically rich legacy of Oberlin College,” Curtin said. “The central design metaphor is the image of a treehouse, as demonstrated by the lofted program elements and surrounding landscape. The canted columns supporting the ballroom, with views to historic Tappan Square, are analogous to tree trunks, designed to [reinforce] the concept of sustainability.”
Interior Design
The Gettys Group are the interior designers of The Hotel at Oberlin and sought to blur the line between outdoors and inside, tapping into the natural surroundings for both inspiration and design elements.
Reclaimed wood from a historic farm building became paneling for the bar area, a satellite view of Oberlin's pastoral setting was transformed into an intriguing abstract mural for the dining area, and a color palette of cool browns mated with warm red reflects the ever-changing hues of the landscape.
Sustainability played a key role in The Gettys Group's design and procurement services, with carpet tiles made of recycled materials used in the guest rooms and hallways.
Green Technology
An innovative HVAC system relies on a geothermal well field and utilizes radiant heating and cooling ceiling panels and flooring, as well as ceiling fans. A large portion of the hotel’s power is supplied by a 10-acre photovoltaic array on campus. The hotel has many other sustainable features, including an on-site bio retention basin to filter storm water, rainwater harvesting for landscape irrigation and exterior automated solar shading devices to reduce heat gain. Fifty percent of the building materials were sourced from within 500 miles.
The primary exterior material is Öko Skin, a highly sustainable cement slat wall panel.
Centerpiece of The Oberlin Project
The Hotel at Oberlin anchors the Peter B. Lewis Gateway Center, the cornerstone of Oberlin’s Green Arts District, and a vital part of The Oberlin Project, an all-encompassing joint venture by the town and college to create a thriving, sustainable and environmentally friendly community in Oberlin.
The visionary behind The Oberlin Project is David W. Orr, an environmental studies professor at Oberlin College. The Hotel Oberlin will offer 6,500 square feet of meeting and event space for groups of up to 350.
