Adaptive Reuse of Old Motel

Adaptive Reuse of Old Motel
Reception desk and bar made from reclaimed wood. 968 Park Hotel - South Lake Tahoe, CA
While green building, like other premium building practices can be significantly more expensive than traditional building practices, this doesn't have to be the case. G8 Partners worked with MWA to transform a neglected Days Inn motel into a chic and environmentally responsible hotel. The building received a total facelift, inside and out, nearly eliminating any trace of its original 1970's architecture. Throughout the building, there are hints of the original building: from the re-use of wood still painted with the building's original green, to transforming an old bed spring into a design element in the lobby. The project received a commercial merit award in the 7th Annual TQ Mountain home awards for its unique and innovative approach to environmentally responsible redevelopment. read article.

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We built a home in the Lahontan Community in 2002-2003 that was designed by Kurt. We had already experienced a home designed by Kurt in Tahoe Donner that we had purchased earlier. Our satisfaction with the Tahoe Donner home was the reason we went to MWA for the Lahontan design. Having had some experience living in the Truckee area, we had some specific needs that we wished to be addressed for the Lahontan design. We articulated these needs in the form of a four page memorandum that we handed to Kurt when we sat down to discuss the project. Kurt took us to some completed homes that he had designed to help us visualize some ideas.

A couple of months later we were told that the draft plans were completed and ready for our review. We were delighted when we found that Kurt had found a way to address all of our needs. From our point of view the design was perfect. Moreover, Kurt had done this while taking maximum advantage of the attributes of the building site: the view of Lookout Mountain, the beautiful meadow and wildlife refuge behind the house and the lovely grove of Aspen trees on the property. We have lived in the home for 4 years and continue to be delighted with the design.

We found working with MWA to be easy and efficient. The communications were excellent every step of the way. Email was used to facilitate communications as we lived in the Bay area while the home was being built.

Overall, we found Kurt and MWA to be very responsive to our needs and very efficient to work with. The project was completed on budget and the architectural design costs were very reasonable.


-- Charlotte and George Hawley
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