Calling all engineers, designers and other interested parties to enter the Green Leaf Inn Green Building Challenge. The Challenge asks for participants to design an Energy Management Control System;  providing a strategy and product selection to control, manage and gather data on an integrated renewable energy system for the Green Leaf Inn (GLI), opening Spring 2013 as the first Net Zero Energy Hotel in North America. Interested parties must submit completed entry forms online by July 1 at www.thegreenleafinn.com.

This challenge is a first of its kind – requiring the integration of three different solar thermal systems; a cogen system, geothermal system, and a wood-fired boiler, to be combined with a 1,250 gallon thermal storage system insulated to R-80, providing heat and cooling for this historic first Net Zero Energy Hotel. 

As a demonstration project, the GLI is designed to display multiple technologies. Through this Challenge, the Inn offers participants the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to design the best energy management system; allowing these multiple systems to work together like a fine orchestra.

The GLI also includes a 50kw wind turbine and a planned 30kw solar photovoltaic array. The geothermal will be integrated with an 18,000 gallon rainwater storage tank, 15,000 gallon aerobic waste water treatment system, and two domestic wells bringing in 3,000 gallons per day when the hotel is at full occupancy (vertical wells complete the system).

“This challenge is intended to be the first of a series of design/building challenges,” says Fritz Kreiss, co-owner of the Green Leaf Inn. We want to encourage both individuals and companies to explore creative and unique ways to solve a variety of green building challenges.”

The winning control strategy will be judged on style, cost and data presentation. The winner will receive extensive ongoing publicity and will be featured in an online webinar, discussing their strategy and promoting their company; available online as part of the historic data marking the building of the GLI as presented by GreenBuildTV.com. In addition, the winner will be featured in other resource materials including whitepaper, historical timeline, press release, e-newsletter article, and video documentation. Documentation will remain online for up to one year after grand opening, with an approximate value of more than $5,800. For further details, visit www.thegreenleafinn.com/challenge.

The Green Leaf Inn, located in Delavan, WI, is designed to be the sustainable building of the future; a comfortable luxury retreat amid a living laboratory and catalog of new technology, products, and providers. This will be the first net zero and regenerative energy hotel to be built in North America and will include eight different sustainable energy systems integrated into the project for demonstration purposes. The Inn will include a remodeled section; existing home containing three suites, eating area, commercial kitchen and laundry, and new construction; 19 hotel suites and conference center. The GLI is intended to encompass a totally new world of luxury never before experienced through the context of sustainable living.

GreenBuildTV.com provides online documentation with multiple resource materials on various green building projects.  The GLI is the first commercial case study for GBTV, with every step in construction and design documented via white papers, video, and online postings. www.greenbuildtv.com

Anticipated new site launch date for both GLI and GBTV is May 2012.