California’s Northern Sonoma Wine Country will now play host to a sparkling new hotel, with a water theme. David Baker + Partners working in collaboration designed which hopes to be rewarded with the LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. A short drive from San Francisco, the h2hotel stands four stories high and has 36 rooms. The building also integrates a living roof on its terrace, which takes up 75% of its top. This helps minimize heat, add a bit of green and works as a home for insects and birds too. The roof is also designed to work as a water collection surface, channeling rainwater and using it to juice up the “Spoonfall” water sculpture, made of a thousand espresso spoons. Part of the h2hotel’s power supply is sourced from solar panels that soak up the sun.
The hotel also uses reclaimed and sustainable materials and products wherever possible. Reclaimed wood has been used for furniture, with flooring made from bamboo. The paint used to spice this one up keep the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) too.