Green hotel innovation – with really green air

Green Air Hotel Wins Radical Innovation Competition

The eighth annual Radical Innovation Competition took place in Las Vegas in May, designed to award progressive thinkers in the hospitality and architectural fields.

And the winning concept, Green Air Hotel, is so green it even breathes green.

The concept, presented by Shanghai-based designer Lip Chiong, beat out nearly 100 entrants from 28 different countries. It includes planting "green lungs," or greenhouse gardens, into the interior design of hotels. These green lungs are composed of a variety of plants that can absorb carbon dioxide and other air toxins and convert them into oxygen and clean air.

The concept was specifically designed for China, where air pollution is a significant health hazard.

"They have this huge problem with air pollution, where the air pollution is five times as bad as the EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) recommends is healthy or safe," said John Hardy, CEO of The John Hardy Group and founder of the Radical Innovation Competition. "Green Air proposes a realistic answer to a serious urban challenge,"

Hotels in China are now required to pump air into the building to keep the air fresh.

"They’re pumping toxins into the building and the interior air is actually worse than what’s outside because they keep accumulating higher and higher levels of toxins inside the building that can’t escape," Hardy said.

" said John Hardy, CEO of The John Hardy Group and founder of the global Radical Innovation Competition. "The voting audience identified with the concept as being urgent, feasible and executable."

The Radical Innovation Competition is open to anyone, as long as they present a concept that features a guest check-in process, a guestroom and a way that it can realistically be implemented within the next three to five years.

This year, the jury prepared the contestants to present live at the Hospitality Design Expo where opposing jury members and conference attendees considered the feasibility of the future development of the concept. The creator of the Green Air project received the grand prize of $10,000 following a live vote by attendees of the conference.

The jury included: Michael Medzigian, Chairman/Managing Partner, Watermark Capital Partners; Jena Thornton, Managing Director, Eagle Rock Ventures; Simon Turner, President, Global Development, Starwood Hotels; Barry Nidiffer, Executive VP, Development Management, Chartres Lodging Group; Wing Chao, renowned master planner, architect and designer, and John Hardy, CEO, The John Hardy Group.

Competing Finalists

• Green Air Hotel—grand prize, $10,000 winner
• Hotel 2020—grand prize, $5,000 winner
• S_LOT—Honorable Mention, $1,500 prize
• Sky Lofts on the Boardwalk—The Student Winner – $1,500 prize

Valere Tjolle

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