Green Solution House

Rønne

GOAL no. 6, 7, 9, 12, 13

Tourism is a large contributor to climate change and resource scarcity. Green Solution House is a hotel with an ambitious approach to sustainable construction, design and hotel operation.

Tourism accounts for 8 percent of the world’s CO2-emissions with a huge environmental footprint in terms of waste, water and energy. Some of these emissions come from the construction and maintenance of hotels and resorts. New solutions are needed to develop sustainable and responsible tourism that benefits local communities.

Green Solution House is a hotel and conference venue that consists of an old hotel complex and new additions, the latest a residential wing from 2022. The hotel’s ambition is to develop, demonstrate and continuously revisit green solutions. The building and landscape are inspired by circular design and use recycled materials. Materials and products comply with strict requirements in terms of certification and environmental labels, recycling potential, social responsibility, resource use, material health and energy use. The hotel has barrier-free access.

Solutions include glass paved paths and bathroom tiles made from recycled glass by a local glass designer. Hotel furniture is made from timber offcuts from the hotel construction itself, and an expansive landscape around the hotel designed as a lush wetland that supports biodiversity, collects rainwater, protects the coastal site from flooding, and is maintained by grazing sheep.

Sustainability is a key priority in the operation of the hotel: kitchen waste is converted into biogas, and water from the showers is purified and used for flushing. The restaurant uses organic and locally sourced ingredients, and the purchase of new products is subject to requirements concerning recycling, environmental certification and energy use in production.

This project shows that it is possible to build and run a hotel based on sustainable principles.

Project details

Where: Strandvejen 79, 3700 Rønne

GSH 1.0 – Completed: 2015

Clients: C.E Mogensens Fond

Architects and advisors: 3XN, SLA (landscape), William McDonough + Partners (cradle to cradle), Rambøll (engineer)

GSH 2.0 – Completed: 2022

Clients: Bornholm Hotels

Architects and advisors: 3XN/GXN (architecture and sustainability), AB Clausen (engineer), PLE (contractor)