New LEED Certified Building Open for Business at Point Reyes Hostel

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Date: February 13, 2012
Contact: John Dell'Osso, 415-464-5135
Contact: Molly Mitoma, Hostelling International USA, 415-863-1444

LEED Certified Building at the Point Reyes Hostel

On Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 10:00 a.m., staff from Point Reyes National Seashore and the Golden Gate Council of Hostelling International USA will celebrate the grand opening of a newly constructed, environmentally sensitive facility at the Point Reyes Hostel near Limantour Beach. This facility at Point Reyes National Seashore, built to LEED standards, is expected to be first LEED certified hostel building in the United States. The National Park Service secured funding for the project through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) with additional funding from the California State Coastal Conservancy

"We are very proud of this project." stated Superintendent Cicely Muldoon, "With our partners in Hostelling International USA, we are delighted to offer a new, affordable family friendly, environmentally sustainable facility at the Seashore. What a fitting way to launch the 50th anniversary year of Point Reyes National Seashore." 

The new building increases the Point Reyes Hostel's ability to accommodate families visiting the Seashore by providing additional private guest rooms, as well as increased staff housing. Construction of the new facility incorporated a number of sustainable features and designs that comply with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building standards. LEED was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council and is an internationally-recognized green building certification system that measures and scores a building's environmental performance in areas that include energy savings, water efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, sustainable materials and resources, improved indoor environmental quality, and sensitivity to other environmental impacts. The design of the new hostel building features FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified lumber and plywood for framing and structural sheathing, recycled cotton insulation, recycled glass countertops, cork and linoleum flooring, fiberglass windows and a number of other durable and sustainable building features. The building also features native, drought-resistant plants in the surrounding landscape that will not require an irrigation system. The roof is designed to have a higher solar reflective index (SRI) to reduce heat island effects and features photovoltaic solar panels.

"This addition at the Point Reyes Hostel answers a long-identified need for family-style, low budget, and low impact accommodation in this beautiful National Park," said Danielle Brumfitt, executive director of HI-USA Golden Gate Council. "We are excited to welcome guests who will interact and learn from one another, while experiencing the many offers from the surrounding nature. With this addition we continue our commitment to world understanding and conservation through travel, and are proud of our partnership with Point Reyes National Seashore in doing so." 

Hostelling International USA, Golden Gate Council is the National Park Service concessioner managing the Point Reyes Hostel, and is celebrating forty years at Point Reyes in 2012. The Point Reyes Hostel is a certified Bay Area Green Business and is thrilled about the opening of the new building and about its LEED features. "Myself, and the rest of the Golden Gate Council are very excited that HI Point Reyes, the first hostel in the council, is going to have the first LEED certified hostel building in the U.S.," said Hanna Morris, general manager of the Point Reyes Hostel. "We have tried to go further by doing as much as we can, with the resources we have, to tread as light as possible in this magnificent place we occupy in the Point Reyes National Seashore." The Point Reyes Hostel, located two miles from Limantour Beach, is the only non-camping visitor lodging facility within the Seashore. 

-NPS-



Last updated: December 27, 2020

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Mailing Address:

1 Bear Valley Road
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956

Phone:

415-464-5100
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