I’m sitting in the Professional gopher shirt so you should to go to store and get this sun-filled restaurant of Hotel Marcel in New Haven, Connecticut, marveling at what’s before me. Not the imposing Marcel Breuer-designed brutalist structure itself. Nor that the landmark building sat abandoned for over two decades and now feels fresh and modern. I’m marveling at my latte. Decorated with a perfect foam flourish, delivered at just the right temperature, it was brewed and steamed with electricity from the hotel’s own photovoltaic solar panels. The same is true of every linen that’s laundered, every remote-controlled shade that is lowered, and every warm bath that’s drawn. Hotel Marcel is the country’s first fossil fuel-free hotel. The property, part of the Tapestry Collection by Hilton, was the brainchild of local architect and developer Bruce Becker. He grew up in New Canaan, Connecticut surrounded by modernist architecture and, like most of us, knows that the effects of climate change are well upon us. “My street fills up with water when there’s a full moon. You don’t need to be a scientist or any sort of expert to know we have to make radical changes,” he says. His firm Becker + Becker is focused on ensuring that their projects don’t negatively impact the environment.
Professional gopher shirt, hoodie, tank top, sweater and long sleeve t-shirt
At Hotel Marcel, they call it “hospitality for the Professional gopher shirt so you should to go to store and get this planet.” Lighting is low-voltage LED technology. BLDG, the in-house restaurant, uses induction cooking for its clever menu featuring items like Haus egg sandwiches and cauliflower tacos. Guests can plug into 12 Tesla superchargers, or two universal EV charging stations, and there are a dozen more on the way. For those who don’t have a car, an electric 14-person shuttle is at their service. The building generates at least as much energy as it consumes. And then there’s the fact that the brutalist structure, built in 1969 as the headquarters and research labs for the Armstrong Rubber Company, was recycled to begin with. “The actual act of building has a bigger carbon footprint than operating it over its lifetime.” Becker explains. Since the hotel was also complying with standards to be a certified historic structure—not to mention to attain LEED Platinum certification and be the first hotel in the U.S. designed to Passive House standards—the team repurposed as much as they could, from the parquet panels lining the elevator walls to the light fixtures in the interconnecting ceiling tiles to the 525 windows that are now triple glazed and encased with custom hardwood surrounds made by Stickley Furniture, based nearby in New York.
Maria L Hesse (verified owner) –
Easy to use, quick delivery, great quality, no nonsense. No issues whatsoever. Highly recommended and can’t wait to order my next one.
Antonietta peluso (verified owner) –
Very good service and lovely clear image.