| BEYOND
GREEN
| The Emerging "Ever
Vail" Resort: Billion-Dollar Green Project Is Off
and Running |
by: Clifford Korman,
Kirkor Urban Solutions, Inc.
|
There’s more to Vail,
CO, than meets the eye. Known for its spectacular skiing,
scenery to die for, quaint shopping and celebrity sightings,
Vail can also add a new and upcoming “largest green
resort village” to its long list of offerings.
“Ever Vail,”
which is being developed by Vail Resorts, Inc., a Broomfield,
CO-based master planner and Real Estate developer specializing
in luxury resort development, is in the midst of building
out what is being referred to as one of the most ambitious
green development projects in the North American resort industry.
The $1 billion Ever Vail
project is estimated to take between five and seven years
to build and is set to transform the existing 11-acre parcel
of what is presently called West Lionshead into a truly green
multi-resort village. Not only will it have private residencies,
a hotel, offices, shops and restaurants, but don’t be
surprised to see a new gondola, skier portal and public park,
among other added features, once the project is approved by
the local city council.
“From the moment
you enter Ever Vail, you’ll feel enveloped and engaged,”
says Vail Resort’s President, Robert Katz. “Moving
through its three districts, you can match your experience
to your mindset: from the quiet buzz of Ever Vail’s
main street, to the effervescence of the central plaza, or
the natural animation of the creekside district, there is
truly something for any mood or occasion. Each district features
an array of retail, restaurants and amenities that may only
be found at Ever Vail, all of which have been chosen to satisfy
the most discerning tastes.”
Once approved, Ever Vail
will be the largest LEED-certified project for resort use
in North America and is one of the first proposed projects
for consideration in LEED’s new Neighborhood Development
certification program. Presently, Vail Resorts is moving forward
with the process for all necessary approvals.
All About LEED
LEED stands for Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design, and is a collaboration
between the U.S. Green Building Council, the Congress for
the New Urbanism and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
The LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system, or LEED
ND, integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism and
green building into the first national standard for neighborhood
design. LEED certification provides independent, third-party
verification that a development’s location and design
meet accepted high standards for environmentally responsible,
sustainable development.
For the Neighborhood Development
certification, at least 50 percent of buildings in the project
must meet the LEED criteria. Vail Resorts plans to develop
100 percent of the project’s buildings to meet LEED
criteria. Currently, there are no projects registered in the
LEED Neighborhood Development program. Ever Vail would be
one of the first projects under this newly formed certification.
The LEED-ND rating system,
launched in February 2007, was developed to encourage environmentally
superior development that brings elements together into a
neighborhood, and relates the neighborhood to its larger region
and landscape. The Vail Resorts Development Company, along
with a design team led by Callison and supported by sustainability
consultants Paladino & Company, both of Seattle, WA, have
worked for more than a year to develop a project plan for
Ever Vail that incorporates sustainable practices at all levels
of design. Several strategies under consideration include:
- Restoring and enhancing of Red Sandstone
Creek and associated onsite wetlands to protect ecological
communities and restore wetlands degraded by previous
development
- Designing a compact, pedestrian-friendly
development with public spaces and diversity of uses to
support a year-round vital community
- Selecting a previously developed
and environmentally degraded site as opposed to using
a previously undeveloped site
- Creating onsite affordable housing
for Vail Resorts employees and other Vail Valley residents
- Designing and constructing buildings
to use 20 to 30 percent less energy and 30 to 50 percent
less water than conventional constructio
- Using renewable energy sources, including
solar hot water and biomass energy from beetle-kill pine
trees harvested in the local forest
- Incorporating solar thermal collectors
to provide most domestic hot water needs and supplement
space heatin
- Using local materials to reduce carbon
emissions from transportation and to support local economie
- Using high-recycled content materials
throughout the project
- Designing mixed-use buildings of
varying scales and street widths for a variety of pedestrian
experience
- Incorporating environmentally friendly
storm water management systems
Location, Location, Location
Nestled at the base of
North America’s premier mountain and bound by Gore Creek
to the south, Vail Square to the east, and with convenient
access to I-70 to the north, Ever Vail will be located 30
minutes from Eagle County Airport and about two hours from
Denver International Airport.
According to Robert, Ever
Vail was thoughtfully chosen to reflect the project’s
guiding principle of sustainability—that is, pairing
Vail Mountain’s enduring preeminent position in the
resort industry with an ongoing commitment to minimize the
company’s footprint on the land.
Vail Resorts, he adds,
is focused on global sustainability and it sees Ever Vail
as an opportunity to plan a sustainable community from the
very beginning.
“In all of our choices—from
the design of our buildings to the materials we use to the
way in which we restore and preserve the natural habitat within
our site—we are considering our environmental impact
and seeking to make choices that support a safer, cleaner,
healthier global environment,” Robert says.
Robert says the motivation
for Vail Resorts seeking LEED for Neighborhood Development
certification for Ever Vail is the next logical step for the
company.
“With our focus on
global sustainability, we have a significant opportunity with
Ever Vail to create a development that is sustainable by design.
It is our hope that other ski resort village developments
will follow our example and learn from our experience,”
he says.
Not the First LEED
Ever Vail is not the first
LEED-certified project for Vail Resorts; in 2007, its then-new
corporate offices opened in Broomfield and were designed to
attain LEED certification.
Additionally, in February
2007, its Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club received LEED
CI (Commercial Interiors) designation for its 10,000-square-foot
clubhouse.
At this time, Ever Vail
is slated to be the second largest LEED ND development, Robert
says. The largest will be Las Vegas’ CityCenter.
In terms of lessees such
as the retail shops and restaurants who might take up residence
at Ever Vail, they aren’t expected or required to operate
in a sustainable manner. However, the idea is a welcome one.
And to date, there seems to be much interest in Ever Vail.
Perhaps Ever Vail
will lend itself to a new trend in resort properties across
the country as sustainable living continues to take hold of
the country—and beyond.
|
|
Clifford
Korman graduated from the University of Waterloo in
1976 where he received the Ontario Association of Architects’
silver medal for design excellence. In 1980, he established
his first architectural firm which has evolved over
the years to become Kirkor Urban Solutions, Inc. With
involvement in more than 2,000 projects to date, he
tirelessly strives to continue raising the level of
quality and excellence that Kirkor has achieved, while
providing the serviceable, creative strategies that
his clients require for community, lifestyle, recreation
and the environment, including developing sustainable
architecture.
Cliff can be reached
by e-mailing him at: ck@kirkorarchitects.com |
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