Chef James Bistro has earned certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Commercial Interiors program of the U.S. Green Building Council, according to a university press release.
Located within Rand Hall, Chef James Bistro was renovated by Gresham, Smith and Partners from October 2007 to August 2008 with the goal of creating a more timeless, clean restaurant appearance that would doubly save energy by not needing to be renovated again for several years, Patrick Gilbert, a principal at the firm, said in the press release.
The Commercial Interiors division of the LEED program recognizes accomplishments in efficiency and sustainability made specifically on renovations to pre-existing interiors or parts of interiors within a building. According to the U.S. Green Building Council Web site, the LEED-CI program “gives the power to make sustainable choices to tenants and designers, who do not always have control over whole building operations.”
In order to reduce the carbon footprint created by the project, many of the materials used for the design and renovation of the restaurant were gathered from within a 500-mile radius of Nashville. Ninety-five percent of the kitchen equipment within Chef James Bistro is Energy-Star rated, meeting the energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Energy for new products.
