South Lake Tahoe, CA – Heavenly Mountain Resort officials have announced that the South Lake Tahoe ski resort’s new on-mountain Tamarack Lodge received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Tamarack Lodge is the first LEED-certified, on-mountain building at Lake Tahoe. It will serve as the blueprint for the construction of Northstar-at-Tahoe’s new on-mountain lodge and as a guide for future Vail Resorts development.
“From the beginning of project planning, our objective was to create a spectacular on-mountain lodge that met or exceeded the environmental standards embodied by LEED’s green building principles. I am extremely proud of the dedication and commitment of our team,” said Pete Sonntag, vice president and general manager of Heavenly Mountain Resort. “Tamarack Lodge is so magnificent that these details might go unnoticed by our guests, but environmental protection is a pillar of Vail Resorts and crucial to delivering a sustainable and service-oriented experience every day.”
After opening on December 17, 2011, Tamarack Lodge offers guests food in a comfortable, alpine-themed setting. From the facility’s restrooms to refillable drinks, Tamarack Lodge departs from ski resort norms to service its guests.
“We’re proud that Heavenly has obtained LEED certification for its beautiful new lodge,” said Nancy Gibson, forest supervisor for the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. “Environmental sustainability lies at the center of the Forest Service mission, and Heavenly is helping us to achieve that, while offering world-class recreational opportunities on national forest system lands.”
“Heavenly’s sustainable approach to improving their facilities is commendable and Tamarack Lodge is a beautiful project that signifies what the private sector is doing at Lake Tahoe to match public restoration efforts,” said Joanne Marchetta, executive director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, the country’s first bi-state environmental planning agency committed to protecting the Lake Tahoe region. “At Lake Tahoe, building green also means thinking blue and we appreciate the efforts of Vail Resorts and Heavenly staff to improve the visitor experience while maintaining the highest environmental standards.”
Heavenly worked with a LEED-certified commissioning engineer and design team to ensure the process was transparent and closely aligned with the U.S. Green Building Council’s recommendations. The project features native and adaptive plant species in re-vegetation and landscaping to reduce water consumption. Fifty-six tons of construction waste were diverted from local landfills. Ten percent of the total building materials were sourced from recycled materials. Heavenly used low-emitting sealants and paints which kept the levels of volatile organic compounds well below recommended standards. The Tamarack Lodge roof material was chosen carefully to reduce heat island effect, a term used to describe an area that concentrates heat leading to increased energy needs and green house gas emissions.
Many behind-the-scenes design features will allow for on-going energy and water savings, making a lasting positive impact on the environment. Low-flush lavatories and other smart plumbing fixture designs will help Heavenly cut water consumption by 33 percent. Light timers and automatic control system will help reduce light pollution on the mountain and cut energy use in the future.
This 14,980-square-foot restaurant located at the top of Heavenly’s Gondola offers 500 indoor seats and 250 outdoor patio seats and is the crown jewel of Heavenly’s revitalization over the past eight years, which includes new and upgraded lifts, increased snowmaking and grooming, and additional on-mountain amenities.