"Eco Friendly" Hilton to be Built in Bariloche, Argentina
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 10. 1.08
Photos: IMOCOM via Perfil.
The Portuguese group IMOCOM presented its latest project in Argentina, a Hilton branded hotel in Bariloche (Patagonia) that was introduced as "eco friendly". According to the company's CEO, Hugo Canessa, the broad term refers to the hotel layout, which will blend with the mountain it's located in to reduce visual impact, and the fact that during the building process and later in its operational phase, the hotel will have efficient use of energy and water and "proper management of soil and drainage."
Besides the green talk, neighbors are concerned about the impact the building will have in this beautiful area. The fact that the hotel is placed in a mountain, is going to get water from the pristine Nahuel Huapi lake, and is surely disposing water nearby, are causes for worry.
Green or greenwashing? Keep reading for more info and pictures.
Background: why a Hilton in Bariloche
Bariloche is a city in the province of Rio Negro and one of the most important destinations of the Argentinean Patagonia. If this project gets the final approval from municipal authorities, the Hilton will be the first international hotel chain to have a base in this city.
The project is thought to be vital for the development of tourism in the area, which is why municipal and national authorities have given it thumbs up. The hotel will demand a 120 million USD investment and is expected to be open in 2011, adding 350 rooms and 240 houses with hotel service, three restaurants, two pools, a spa and a convention center for 2,000 people to the city.
Towns and cities in the south of Argentina have higher environmental awareness than Buenos Aires, and that is why the project for the hotel had to consider green actions and was presented as "eco friendly."
How green the third Argentinean Hilton will be?
The eye-shaped building was designed by well known Argentinean architect Mario Roberto Alvarez, also father of the Buenos Aires Hilton, and will cover 60,000 square meters of the 50 hectares the IMOCOM group owns in the Dos Hermanos hills (25 kilometers from the center of Bariloche).
The investors behind the hotel project say it will have the following green features:
-A green roof that will integrate it to the mountain colors thorough seasons,
-Efficient use of water and energy,
-The largest private plant of liquid waste water treatment in the area (according to Infobae),
-The hotel will occupy 60,000 square meters of the 51 hectares area, leaving the rest of the space with the natural wildlife,
-The building will be located in an area of semi-volcanic rock and no native species will be cut down, the trees that will have to be cleared are mostly pines (as said by Imocom CEO to ANBariloche).
But of course, the sole fact of a building getting into the landscape of a mountain has been subject to discussion and rejection from the city's neighbors.
Locals oppose to project
According to Muy Patagonia, opposers are worried about the future impact of the building and some of the actions behind the project.
The neighbors claim the building will spoil their landscape and surroundings, and say the hotel will have an electricity line that will be financed by investors but that afterwards they won't pay their consume until that investment is paid out, which makes the line paid by neighbors.
As said earlier, we would be more worried about the hotel getting water from the Nahuel Huapi lake and would watch for the waste water treatment and disposal. We know Argentina has seen too many water courses spoiled by negligence.
So far, the hotel was presented with an environmental impact study to the municipal Planning Secretariat and awaits final approval. If it does, we certainly hope the "eco friendly" presentation is not just green blah.
:: Via El Blog Verde, Perfiland Rio Negro
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The images are pretty stunning, but the question is, will this be a "strip mining" operation to gut out the mountainside for the build? Or will they truly do a full green build and reuse or reallocate any of the mountain materials? The problem with companies like Hilton coming in and saying that they are doing a green project is that it's hard to believe that they are 100% honest when their end goal is profit.
Agree, I'm not that concerned about the appearance of landscape because the building integrates nicely, but to me the issue is water. I've been to that lake and I'll cry my heart out if they spoil it by taking water out or throwing in....
I went to Bariloche in 07 and the area surrounding it is beautiful. I only hope Hilton keeps their commitmnet to being eco friendly.
Nothing says eco like cutting a chunk out of a mountain.
If you look at the complete lifecycle of this or any hotel, it can't be considered "green". How do the guests get to the hotel? I imagine over 90% fly into the nearest airport - what's the eco impact of the flights? What about transporting guests to and from the hotel - do they only use zero emission vehicles. And the electrical power to run everything - I didn't see any wind turbines or solar panels. And as already mentioned, water and sewage for the large number of guests will be a huge issue.
I'd call this greenwashing.
http://greenterrafirma.com/wordpress/beware-of-greenwashing/
Thank you for bringing this hotel environmental initiative to my attention. The pictures are spectacular. Of course any increase in tourism will have negative ecological impacts and they can only hope to minimize environmental damage. Hopefully Hilton will keep the spirit of the green initiative after this (or if) this concept is approved.
The architectual solution is very nice and innovative but eco IT IS NOT! Putting on a green roof and making the building blend into it's context is not green at all. This project has more cons (both people & negative aspects) than positive. I wouldn't be surprised if the government goes ahead and gives them approval for the project because the only green that matters is $$$$.
Absolutely no f way!
There is only one access road around the lake in Bariloche, and it is heavily over-used, no hotel within the perimeters of the lake is able to be green just for for this reason, and the list goes on and on.
I hope my decrepit useless government takes a stand against it (unlikely). Thanks to those of you that are expressing your opposition, this is a really bad idea, Bariloche does not need more tourism, and is not short of hotels for that purpose.
"Nothing says eco like cutting a chunk out of a mountain. "
And turning the soil impermeable, channeling underground infrastructure to support it, bringing down trees, etc, etc.
This sort of construction puzzles me because they annihilate the landscape they're supposed to exploit. Weird!
hmmm is this hotel eco friendly i dont think so what so ever the first problem is they cutting out the huge mountain right for moving that much rock mean using huge machines with dizel engines(lots of carbonmonoxide)to move the rocks and what they doing with these rocks moving somewere else even more carbon then putting some other place like were??? plus there will be lots of workers right were these workers stay home how they come to the job side with regular cars then what they do with the sewer (biggest problem) runing pipe to the lake i think what they gonna do then they gonna use lots of power for building the hotel are they using solar or wind power i dont think so i can keep go on all day like this its not eco friendly humans are not stuped anymore u cant expect us to believe this (green hotel) cuz there is couple trees on top of the roof
When there is humans, there is indulgence, there is no such thing genuine care for environment... all just a facade.. to lure visitors, make them less guilty
Looks cool...
Thank you for bringing this hotel environmental initiative to my attention. The pictures are spectacular. Of course any increase in tourism will have negative ecological impacts and they can only hope to minimize environmental damage. Hopefully Hilton will keep the spirit of the green initiative after this (or if) this concept is approved.
I am wary, at best. Hilton does not have a habit of being eco-friendly and if you don't believe me, stay in one. Any one. Keep your eyes on the massive amounts of waste they produce which is so extraneous to what is required to do business, and you will get my drift.
As an architect I have to say I am already seeing the waste and the greenwashing. Check out the interiors rendering at the bottom of the article. Is there a reason why the atrium needs to be what looks like a good ten stories high and as deep as a football field or two? A couple of lounge chairs and a table does not a space-waster need, regardless of whether the atrium serves hotel rooms also (as I suspect). Tone it down by sizing it down and then let's talk about all the green doo-dads you plan on tacking on to it!