The LEED List No. 03 - Arlo Hotels - Midtown

The design at Arlo Midtown does not shout. It hums. Conceived by Meyer Davis, a renowned New York based design firm known for its work in luxury hospitality and residential interiors, the interiors of this LEED Silver-certified hotel in Manhattan's Garment District manage to feel both softly urban and intimately intentional. Meyer Davis is recognized for their sophisticated, clean aesthetic and thoughtful spatial composition. Their design philosophy embraces narrative and function equally, prioritizing a balance between emotional resonance and practical utility. The palette is refined and textural, the lighting deliberate, the materials natural but polished. Nothing is too much, yet everything feels considered. At Arlo Midtown, this approach reveals itself through the use of natural materials, smart lighting, and refined finishes that create a welcoming yet urban atmosphere. Their work supports the hotel’s sustainability goals through restrained detailing and purposeful spatial planning, aligning seamlessly with Arlo’s compact footprint and design ethos.

Arlo Midtown presents a compelling case for compact sustainability in hospitality. As a LEED Silver certified hotel operating within the dense urban fabric of Manhattan, it embraces a micro hotel model that aligns naturally with many of the goals outlined in the LEED framework. In a city where space is at a premium, the hotel maximizes every square foot, not just in terms of function, but also in energy efficiency, material usage, and environmental impact.

The compact nature of Arlo Midtown is not simply about smaller rooms; it is about strategic space planning. Efficient floor plans reduce circulation space without compromising guest comfort. Zoning between public and private areas is handled carefully, promoting intuitive movement and minimizing unnecessary transitions. Smaller rooms mean smaller energy loads: heating, cooling, and lighting systems operate on a tighter footprint, making it easier to regulate and reduce consumption. The energy savings are considerable when aggregated across the hotel's 489 rooms.

LEED Silver certification requires projects to earn 50 to 59 points across categories such as Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Innovation. In compact urban hotels, credits are often earned through strategies like smart HVAC zoning, occupancy sensors, low flow plumbing fixtures, and locally sourced, low emitting materials. Arlo Midtown likely incorporates these elements, along with energy efficient lighting, reduced construction waste, and tight envelope design to limit thermal loss. Public transportation access, bicycle storage, and reduced parking availability also contribute to site sustainability, aligning with LEED's urban mobility goals.

Compact design in this context becomes both a spatial and ethical choice. The smaller scale encourages resource conscious behaviors, from reduced housekeeping demands to the use of multifunctional furniture and amenities. While it may seem subtle, this restraint shapes not only the building’s performance but also the guest experience. There is a feeling of design intentionality, where nothing is excessive, and everything has a role.

This case offers a useful reminder that sustainability does not always rely on grand architectural gestures. Sometimes, it shows up in the systems we do not see, in the planning decisions made early on, and in the refusal to waste space. In places like Arlo Midtown, compactness becomes a design value, a quieter, more disciplined way to build and operate in a city that rarely stops moving.

I visited Arlo Midtown this week and had the opportunity to speak with Danny, the hotel manager. He generously showed me around the hotel, including all three restaurant and bar spaces, the gym, and two guest rooms, a double and the most requested corner king room. While all the rooms are small, they are exceptionally efficient in layout and use of space. After the tour, I stayed for a bite and had the seasonal squash blossoms with a glass of wine, which felt like the perfect way to take in the space from a guest's perspective.

One of the biophilic design elements that stood out to me most was a set of moss rings hanging above the front desk in the lobby. They hover just above the staircase that leads to the lower level, where the gym, office, and housekeeping are located. Even the gym has biophilic elements. Each element provides subtle grounding, and they set the tone for the kind of calm, natural rhythm the hotel wants you to feel. Even in a compact space, biophilic elements like this do a lot of heavy lifting. You feel the softness in the air, the visual connection to green without needing a view.

Arlo’s architecture plays with volume in subtle but effective ways. Public areas like the lobby and restaurant have high ceilings that make the space feel generous and open, drawing guests in and encouraging gathering. In contrast, the private guest rooms have lower ceilings that emphasize rest and privacy, adding to the sense of coziness without feeling confined. Showers take the place of tubs, speaking to both the space-saving layout and a more efficient use of water. In the bathrooms, the tile finishes reflect an urban palette that nods to nature without leaning heavily into earth tones. The textures and colors feel like the city, refined, cool, and understated, but still organic.

What struck me most about the psychological aspect of Arlo’s design was how it uses smallness to bring people outward. In a city like New York, where square footage is always a negotiation, the hotel does not try to fight its footprint. Instead, it embraces the idea that a room should be a place to rest and reset, not necessarily the final destination. The design subtly encourages guests to explore, socialize, and step into the energy of the city. But it also knows how to hold stillness. At night, the rooftop becomes a kind of quiet observatory, with views of Hudson Yards and the city skyline pulling people upward. It is a smart balance, compact interiors that invite you out, and shared spaces that draw you back in.

As both a guest and someone deeply immersed in the practice of design, Arlo Midtown reminded me that sustainability, when executed with care, can feel quietly luxurious. It is not a matter of subtraction, but of refinement. There is no need to strip away comfort or elegance to achieve environmental intelligence. Instead, the design draws your attention to the subtle pleasures, the softened acoustics of a well-planned lobby, the intimacy of a perfectly scaled room, and the way natural light lands exactly where it should. These details do not declare themselves, but they are deeply felt. In Arlo Midtown, beauty and responsibility coexist not as a compromise, but as conviction. The hotel does not need to explain its ethos; it simply lets you live in it. And that, to me, is where sustainable hospitality becomes something far more lasting: not a feature, but a feeling.

Always, In the Details.

All images courtesy of Arlo Midtown and Meyer Davis Studio. Sourced via official websites and press materials. Used here for educational and editorial purposes.

Arlo Midtown - 351 W 38th St, New York, NY 10018 - arlohotels.com/midtown/

Meyer Davis - 180 Varick Street, Suite 404, New York, NY 10014 - www.meyerdavis.com/

The LEED List No. 02 – Crosby Street Hotel

I spent this week at the Crosby Street Hotel in SoHo, nestled on a quiet cobblestone block that renders even a cloudy afternoon beautifully composed. I’ve walked past it countless times, but this was the first occasion I allowed myself to truly study it. Not simply as a guest, but as a student of design. I arrived for afternoon tea, a visual and sensory delight in itself, and stayed far longer than anticipated, observing how the space moved, breathed, and held its guests.

Crosby Street Hotel is situated on a quiet cobbled street in the heart of New York’s vibrant SoHo neighborhood. It is the first hotel outside of London by renowned British hotelier Firmdale Hotels and marks a bold but graceful debut in the United States. Built from the ground up, the hotel rises eleven stories and spans 85,000 square feet. There are 86 bedrooms and suites, each generously proportioned and thoughtfully composed. The building includes a guest library, several meeting and event spaces, a private leafy garden, a fully equipped gym, and a 99-seat screening room. The Crosby Bar, elegant and unassuming, opens onto a sunlit restaurant and serves as a natural extension of the hotel’s rhythm.

The interiors are the work of Kit Kemp, co-owner and creative director of Firmdale Hotels. Known for her fresh and expressive style, Kemp’s design at Crosby is neither restrained nor overly stylized. It is confident, layered, and joyous. Velvet upholstery, sculptural lighting, patterned wallpapers, and curated art lend the hotel a spirit that is both playful and composed. Color pairings are unexpected but harmonious. Textures are soft and deliberate. The atmosphere is quietly theatrical without ever tipping into excess.

“The hotel has settled into its space like someone settling into a very comfortable armchair and in that way it looks like the art is a part of the place, rather than a gallery or somewhere where you stand, walk around and go out. It's actually a home, and it's a home from home, and that's how the art should look within a hotel.” — Kit Kemp, Every Room Tells a Story: Art at Crosby Street Hotel

Crosby Street Hotel is also the first hotel in New York State to earn LEED Gold certification. This distinction places it among a small group of buildings that demonstrate a comprehensive and sophisticated approach to environmental performance. Gold certification reflects the achievement of over sixty percent of the available LEED points, which recognizes thoughtful innovation in energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality, and materials stewardship. These buildings model a design ethic that is as responsible as it is beautiful.

What is remarkable at Crosby is how lightly this responsibility is carried. There are no markers or didactic gestures. Instead, the sustainability is woven into the fabric of the experience. Over seventy-five percent of construction and demolition waste was diverted from landfills. Low-VOC paints and regional materials were used throughout. A green roof mitigates runoff and supports biodiversity. Rainwater capture and operable windows reduce energy loads and reinforce a sense of openness that is rare in Manhattan. Natural ventilation is not an amenity. It is a design principle.

The garden behind the hotel is one of its most graceful offerings. Sculpted but never stiff, it feels like an inherited space rather than an imposed one. Guests move through it slowly, almost instinctively, as though it were recalibrating their sense of pace. According to the USGBC, this connection to outdoor space, along with the hotel’s water-efficient landscape strategy, played a meaningful role in its certification. But none of that is the point. What matters is the stillness it creates.

Inside, the lighting is warm and painterly. Pools of light are placed with intent, framing moments without demanding attention. Materials speak in texture. Velvet, terracotta, stone, and hand-thrown ceramic all find their place. None of it feels incidental. Every finish contributes to a tactile narrative. Whether regional, recycled, or simply enduring, each detail feels both refined and necessary.

Crosby Street Hotel also holds three Michelin Keys, the highest rating awarded in the Michelin Guide’s inaugural list of outstanding hotels in the United States. This recognition reflects not only its quality of service but the fullness of the guest experience. Here, sustainability does not interrupt luxury. It defines it.

This visit reframed my understanding of what sustainable hospitality can look like. Not as a checklist or a set of certifications, but as a kind of elegance. A rhythm. A clarity of thought and feeling. Where 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge feels rooted and elemental, Crosby is expressive, urbane, and luminously calm. Both succeed by making sustainability structural, not supplemental.

Sometimes the most responsible buildings are the quietest. They do not need to persuade you. They let you feel it. In the hush of a library. In a garden that softens your shoulders. In the grace of a window that opens.

Always, In the Details.

All images courtesy of Crosby Street Hotel and Firmdale Hotels. Sourced via official websites and press materials. Used here for educational and editorial purposes.

Crosby Street Hotel -79 Crosby St, New York, NY 10012 - firmdalehotels.com/hotels/new-york/crosby-street-hotel/

Kit Kemp Design Studio - Ham Yard Village, 3 Ham Yard, London, UK W1D 7DT - kitkemp.com/

Stonehill Taylor - 31 W 27th St 5th floor, New York, NY 10001 - stonehilltaylor.com/

The LEED List No. 01 - 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge

I have been to 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge more times than I can count. Often for a cocktail on the rooftop, sometimes just to curl up in the lobby with a tea and pretend, for a moment, that I live there. But this visit was different. I arrived with a sketchbook, an assignment, and a new kind of lens. I was not there simply to enjoy the space. I was there to understand it.

I have long admired the aesthetic. Moody, grounded, and textural. But this visit invited me to look closer. I began paying attention not just to how the space made me feel, but how it performed. How it lived up to its reputation as one of the most sustainability-forward hotels in New York. Overlooking the East River and the Manhattan skyline, the hotel holds a LEED Gold certification and serves as a benchmark for sustainable urban hospitality. From the filtered light to the scent of reclaimed wood, every detail felt intentional yet effortless. Rooted, but never rigid.

Designed by INC Architecture & Design with interiors by local firm Roman and Williams, and landscaping by Harrison Green, 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge is a study in thoughtful restraint. The architecture is intuitive, grounding the structure in biophilic principles and material honesty. It invites calm without compromising complexity. Nothing is imposed. Everything emerges.

Opened in 2017, the hotel is situated at the edge of Brooklyn Heights, where brownstone quiet meets the industrial legacy of Dumbo and the cinematic sweep of the East River. It stands at the seam between past and present, nestled in one of the city's most historically significant neighborhoods. Brooklyn Heights was the first designated historic district in New York City, its cobbled streets and Federal-style townhouses long a haven for writers, thinkers, and quiet revolutionaries. Against this backdrop, 1 Hotel feels at once new and inevitable.

The hotel is part of the 1 Hotels portfolio, a brand founded on the principle that sustainability can be both luxurious and essential. Every element, from operations to aesthetics, is built to reflect a deeply integrated environmental ethos.

There is a cohesion to the design that feels more like an ecosystem than an interior. Reclaimed materials, more than fifty thousand integrated plants, cross-ventilation, rainwater and greywater reuse systems, and green roofs all work together in quiet harmony. More than half of the hotel’s structure and finishes are made from reclaimed and regionally sourced materials. This reduces embodied carbon and creates a tactile link to place. It is rare for a new build to feel this much of the city, not just in it.

The lobby sets the tone with its layered textures, dappled light, and a soft interplay between indoors and out. Public spaces open onto terraces with water views. Foot traffic flows naturally, like the movement of the river beyond. Timber beams and exposed joinery speak to craftsmanship and reuse. Concrete and floor-to-ceiling glass bring a refined counterbalance. Even the HVAC system, equipped with MERV-13 filtration, low-VOC materials, and daylighting integration, feels architectural, not mechanical.

Lunch at The Osprey was light and seasonal. Exactly in rhythm with the ethos of the space. The manager, upon hearing about my study, generously shared insights into the hotel’s sustainable systems and materials. That conversation added dimension to my research. It turned facts into something felt.

The guest rooms are compact and calming. Designed with reclaimed wood, organic cotton, filtered water, and smart sensors that adjust lighting and temperature when unoccupied, they are composed with care. Even the windows open into a balcony-like gesture. They let in breeze from the East River. The luxury here is not in spectacle. It is in subtlety. In the absence of plastic. In the presence of fresh air.

Many of the furnishings and fixtures are crafted by local artisans, grounding the interiors with an authenticity that mirrors the surrounding neighborhood. Natural materials, hand-finished elements, and regionally sourced pieces offer a connection to place that feels both deliberate and quietly personal.

Naturally, I returned to the rooftop. It has long been one of my favorite spots in Brooklyn, but this time I noticed more than just the view. Greenery softens every edge. It draws you outward, toward the river, toward the skyline. It does not just frame the city. It participates in it. Cocktail in hand, skyline ahead, I found myself thinking. This is biophilic design at its most intuitive. It makes you feel held.

The spa continues that story. Every gesture, from its quiet palette to its minimal acoustics, whispers calm. Nothing is performative. Everything is considered. Even the service reflects that balance. Gentle, attentive, human.

What impressed me most was the way materiality and light worked together to create a restorative environment. The sustainable systems—triple-filtered water, smart room technology, efficient lighting, hyper-local food sourcing—do not compete for attention. They are embedded. They are integral. You do not need to be told the building is sustainable. You sense it.

LEED Gold certification represents a distinguished level of performance under the U.S. Green Building Council’s framework. To achieve it, projects must secure over sixty percent of all available points across diverse categories, including energy use, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and sustainable site development. It is not simply an award. It is a signal that the building performs as beautifully as it looks. That the ethos is consistent from structure to service.

The design team approached the space less as a hotel and more as a living system. One that evolves with its guests, its climate, and its context. Sustainability here is not a checklist. It is a cadence. A confidence. A care.

You notice it in the way morning light settles into the grain of the reclaimed wood. In the hush between footsteps. In the warmth of filtered water poured into a ceramic cup. In the distant hum of the ferry. In the rustle of leaves on the promenade. In the city—just beyond—held at a softer volume.

This experience was built on research, observation, and one quiet conversation. But more than anything, it was about taking time. Slowing down to notice how design shapes feeling. This hotel does not just meet LEED standards. It embodies them. And that is the distinction.

Always, In the Details.

1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge - 60 Furman St, Brooklyn, NY 11201 - 1hotels.com/brooklyn-bridge

INC Architecture & Design -150 Varick St, 5th Floor South New York, NY 10013 - inc.nyc/

Harrison Green - 60 Grattan St, Brooklyn, NY 11237 - harrisongreen.com/