Retrofitting Manhattan’s Grande Dame

Retrofitting Manhattan’s Grande Dame

As any hotelier will tell you, bringing an existing structure in-line with current sustainability requirements is the ultimate recycling project. The energy embedded in an existing building can be as much as 39 per cent of the embedded energy of maintenance and operations for the entire life of the building. So what do you do when your asset is a heritage one? We take a look at The Pierre New York to find out...

The Pierre possesses a fabled Central Park location and bestows upon the city a sense of opulent European style and grace. She first opened her doors in October 1930 and attracted a legendary list of distinguished and influential patrons.

The Grande Dame of mid-town Manhattan was built in the late 1920s for what at the time was an exorbitant sum. Her US$15 million price-tag resulted in an architectural masterpiece of Georgian design, inspired by a French chateau. Featuring granite and cream-coloured brick, all capped with a tall tower of gleaming copper, the hotel’s traditional design was inherently sustainable in nature; built of natural materials and designed for the climate and the location.

When The Pierre joined the distinguished portfolio of Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces in 2005, a tireless schedule of restoration was embarked upon. Restoration efforts focussed reusing traditional features and bringing about substantial energy savings by leveraging modern-day technology. All this without compromising The Pierre’s unique character and appeal.

Retaining a strong connection with The Pierre’s glamorous roots was an important focus for Taj. But the company had a reputation for its commitment stringent sustainability principles and The Pierre simply didn’t stack up.

Taj turned to EC3 Global, an Australian-based company who manages the EarthCheck Program. EarthCheck is the world’s leading sustainability solution and had been used by other Taj properties with great success.

The Program provides a science-based technological framework that helps operators increase efficiencies, minimise environmental footprints and maximise the benefit of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

Used as an extension of the EARTH (Environment Awareness & Renewal at Taj Hotels) project, EarthCheck provided the tools that enabled The Pierre to competitively benchmark the outcomes of its practices against others in the same field and provide a checks-and-balances system that complimented and provided independent verification of the findings of Taj’s EARTH project.

Although six of the assessed EarthCheck indicators benchmarked at or above the baseline level, four indicators (Energy Consumption, Potable Water Consumption, Waste Sent to Landfill, and Cleaning Products) fell below baseline level.

Being familiar with the EarthCheck system, Taj knew exactly what needed to be done and set about addressing the identified areas of weakness. Using recommendations made as part of the Benchmarking report and the internal capacity building provided to staff, the hotel was able to take appropriate action, without the need for costly external consultants.

“Our green initiatives help to preserve precious resources while creating a better working environment for our employees, and a superior stay for our guests,” said Heiko Kuenstle, general manager of The Pierre. “By using renewable resources and becoming more energy efficient, we are doing what we can to move towards a more sustainable future."

Measurement and monitoring operations is now a requirement at The Pierre. It is recognised not as a cost, but as an essential environmental management tool that helps identify risk, supports staff in making informed decisions and calculates the cost savings brought about by subsequent action taken.

True to form, The Pierre’s staff members quickly caught on and have added to the drawing board of future projects. On the wish-list is an innovative co-gen initiative that would enable The Pierre to make their own electricity using natural gas, an herb garden for the Executive Chef, and the use of biodegradable chemicals.

Taj has a reputation for having a strong social conscience and operating with at levels of efficiency that are legendary within the industry. They’ve learnt that you can’t manage what you can’t measure, while holding dear to the long-held belief that caring for host communities is central to success. The company is conserving precious resources in locations as varied as New York to Rajasthan and knows that sustainable business is not only good for the environment; it’s good for a healthy bottom line too.

ENDS

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