WATG Destination design

Seattle, February 2009 - Destination design firm WATG provided complete architectural design services for Bardessono, a 62-room boutique luxury inn and spa opening this week on a 4.9-acre site in Yountville, California, in the heart of Napa Valley.

The inn includes a spa with four treatment rooms, a 75-foot-long rooftop infinity pool, a fine-dining restaurant, and meeting space. The design reflects a blending of the Valley's agrarian character, the high refinement associated with its wines, and the indoor/outdoor character of local living.

The project uses solar and geothermal energy, sophisticated energy management systems, sustainable building materials, and organic landscape management practices. The project is pursuing a LEED Platinum certification from the US Green Building Council.

Some of the unique elements of the inn include a lobby without a front desk - guests are greeted in the foyer by the staff; every room has its own courtyard that allows for absolute guest privacy; and spa treatments will be available in every guestroom.

"Guests will be able to take their showers outdoors, underneath the stars," said Susan Frieson, WATG associate and lead architect on the project. "That’s just one of many experiences at Bardessono that will connect people with their environment."

Some of the sustainable design features of the property include:

• Eighty-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 the sun and heat in 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 go 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.

• Re-use and treatment of gray and black water for irrigation through Yountville's water system.

The project is managed by MTM Luxury Lodging and was developed by Phil Sherburne, who also developed Willows Lodge in the Seattle area and Inn of the Spanish Garden in Santa Barbara, CA.

WATG has a legacy of environmentally sensitive planning, architecture and design. A hallmark of WATG is its sensitivity to the influences of the local culture, the natural resources, the people and the spirit of the place. From its offices in Seattle, Irvine, Honolulu, Orlando, Singapore and London, WATG has designed hotels and resorts in 160 countries and territories across six continents. For more information, visit www.watg.com.