Sustainability and environment committed golf club management is not just an option, but a fundamental, mandatory principle.
Today it is not enough to achieve the Golf Environment Organization‘s OnCourse Certificate.
When you are renovating your clubhouse or building a new one, you must align your design principles and technical solutions with sustainability principles.
Costa Navarino – Bay Course – clubhouse sustainability
This is why Costa Navarino‘s Bay Course clubhouse (2,000m2) made up my mind. It is an earth-sheltered facility with a breathtaking view on the Robert Trent Jones Jnr-designed golf course to the historic Bay of Navarino.
The new Costa Navarino clubhouse is based on the doctrine of bioclimatic architecture it features planted roofs, which will, ultimately, include a total of 27,500 plants and trees – both around the clubhouse and on its roof – as well as materials and systems that maximize the building’s energy efficiency.
To reduce energy consumption they are using:
- Energy-efficient window panes;
- Low energy technology lighting;
- Electronic lighting ballasts;
- Central lighting control systems;
- A high-quality, external wall insulation system that significantly reduces energy losses by wrapping the building in a thermally resistant envelope;
- Central Building Management System (BMS).
In 2016, they were able to reduce the total energy consumption by 6.90%.
As you can see in the picture above, Costa Navarino is trying to utilize passive design by using ‘natural’ sources of
- colling,
- ventilation (e.g. cross-ventilation),
- shading,
- materials,
- etc.
An interesting committment of Costa Navarino is:
- keep the building footprint of the whole Costa Navarino development below 10%.
The clubhouse’s spacious interior features restaurant and bar facilities – including, for six weeks in July and August, a pop-up, Funky Gourmet restaurant, the first time a two-Michelin-star dining experience will be available in Greece outside of Athens.
What I missed from the new clubhouse is the usage of smart home technologies (e.g. Amazon Echo, Nest learning thermostat, Philips Hue, Lifx, Sonos (multi-room audio), etc.).
You can save a lot of money, but energy as well with a smart home/clubhouse.
It can bring a new level of extremely affordable luxury and comfort.
