The lodging industry worldwide has witnessed a trend toward environmentally responsive facilities, called eco-hotels. These structures carry the environmental theme throughout, from the positioning of buildings to maximize the natural assets of a site to the careful selection of construction materials. The hallmark of eco-hotels is the integration of all components, which allows for a sustainable design at little or no additional cost compared with conventional approaches. This is not easy, however. According to one major rating agency, applications for certification have doubled each of the past several years, with 90 percent of the applicants failing to meet the rigorous ecological standards.

In that regard, engineering solutions are critical, with the design engineer expected to contribute more than he is in the conventional design process. Key to that contribution is a proactive stance regarding a number of environmental-design parameters. Table 1 identifies basic environmental considerations and ways to address them. Much of what is involved is similar to that for a conventional project; however, far more investigation and design is required.