Historical hotel reinvents itself

from Designer Chicks eMagazine Sept 2014 Issue 3

Calendar of Design Events

The Carrington Hotel Katoomba works towards environmental, economic & community sustainability.

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY :: SHARON NEWMAN

Historical Relic Morphs into Modern and Progressive Elegance

The Carrington Hotel has had a long history as a tourist destination for the past 128 years. Opening its doors in 1886 the hotel passed through Australian history as the place to go to in the New South Wales Blue Mountains. After a decline in the 70’s, the hotel was closed and left vacant and almost lost to us between the years 1985 and 1991. This fine hotel went through a metamorphosis in an eight-year restoration and reopened its doors in 1998 to a new life of change. The ideals have changed from catering to the rich tourist, to becoming an active participant in the community, e.g. working closely with local produce food and wine, recycling, free range eggs and provision of meeting places for public forums and dinners. Spanning over a century The Carrington has watched its surrounding community grow and change. Now it is itself changing from within. Change from Within

The high consumption of energy, using the old systems to run this beautiful establishment, has evolved to incorporate cutting edge developments of energy sustainability. Introducing a Co-Generation Plant The Carrington has saved money and helped the environment.

The hotel moves between accessing the electrical grid during off peak times and the cogeneration plant during high peak periods. There are two rooms housing cylinders that have thermostatically controlled heating coils. These cylinders lose less than one per cent of heat each day; this makes them much more energy efficient, and leaves a smaller environmental footprint. It takes days for these goliaths to cool down, preventing any inconvenience to the public if anything happens to the source of energy. Because there are two rooms housing these plants, if one plant goes offline the other can still look after the hotel. New Brewery

There will also soon be opening a brewery that utilises the excess energy from the heaters. The products to be used to make the beer will be sourced locally and the bi-products will be sent to farms. The water to be used will come from underground water tanks. The brewery itself is based in the first building that housed the original electrical plant for the surrounding area.

The Carrington also supports the arts in the area: Providing the backdrop to creative ventures.