Coachella Valley Local Narendra Patel Takes Green Around The World

Aug. 22, 2009 - PRLog -- It is one thing to talk about green design and construction and quite another to walk into a building that feels alive.  Such is the work of local architect and visionary Narendra Patel.  Patel has called the Coachella Valley desert his home since 1981 and from the very beginning he gradually but consistently integrated green practices in every property he designed.   Now, over 20 years later, his green, unique and fluid designs are part of the Coachella Valley landscape as well as winning recognition on the other side of the world.  Not bad for a CV local who started designing green merely because it was the “right thing to do.”  

“In the beginning,” according to Patel, “I was green.  I hated the idea of waste.”  That waste included everything from energy to construction.  Actually, Patel didn’t become a green architect—he designed properties the way he thought they should be designed from conception.  Patel started out creating designs that avoided waste of any kind.  Also of special importance to him was crafting high indoor air quality and fitting the property to the land.   In other words, Patel didn’t attempt to sell anyone on going green, he was merely green before most us even realized that green was cool.

While the bulk of Patel’s designs have been luxury homes, he has a large number of impressive commercial buildings dotting the Coachella Valley.  Of special note is the Henderson Community Building in Palm Desert, which is registered as a LEED Certified Gold Building*.  It has also been selected as a Green Building of America Award-winning project.  In alignment with Patel’s basic green henderson_2.jpgcriterion, the 6,300 square foot building contains such features as solar energy, natural air circulation, resource conservation and minimal waste.  Still, the true beauty of the building is the how organically the property sits on the desert.  There is no doubt that it belongs there.

After two decades of building luxury homes and commercial buildings in the desert, Patel is now taking his version of green out into the international market.  He frequently calls that version, “Ecologically progressive architecture…or eco-tech with a combination of technology, material and engineering.”  But interestingly enough, he is usually hired based upon his designs rather than his green and sustainable devotion.  According to Patel, “Green architecture doesn’t need to be boring—in fact it has to be aesthetically pleasing.”  Once the client sees the end product, the basic green features are not an issue.   Then after the basic design has been approved, Patel and his team attempt to work to convince the client to utilize more aggressive green features like solar.

One of Patel’s current projects is a Net Zero Green Hotel in Guangzhou, China, which is being touted as “the most sustainable hotel in the world where extreme green will meet extreme luxury.”   The property, owned by private investors in China will contain over 350 hotel rooms and 500,000 square feet.  The sustainable elements will include three large wind turbines, a fuel cell power generator, transparent photovoltaic windows, it’s own gray-water recycling system and all natural materials.  The property is currently in the final design stages and it is expected to be complete in 2012-2013.    Patel has described the distinct and fluid design as, “a sculpture in the air.”

Again, Patel was not hired to design this building as a “green” building.  There were actually three other architectural designs already completed for the hotel before the investors asked Patel to provide input. Patel honestly explained that if they wanted an iconic landmark building, they needed a new design.  After that, it was relatively easy to convince the investors in China that a five-star zero carbon hotel would be the landmark they were looking to create.

Like many of us, Patel believes that green in the future has become a necessity.    “In time, sustainable design concepts will simply be incorporated as inherent attributes of standard practice,” says Patel. “‘Going green,’ might be the buzz phrase today but ultimately, it will become a survival skill.”  Patel also thinks of himself as a “risk-taker.”  He says that if he believes in adding yet untried products to his design, he is willing to fight for them.   That bravery has clearly paid off in his work.

When asked about future projects Patel says he is exploring projects where he can have a larger impact on people’s lives.  That’s why he is looking into more hotel projects, as well as public buildings.  Those types of buildings consume large amount resources and effect the environment of the community around them quite dramatically.  When asked what he would like to see happen here in the Coachella Valley he admitted he would like to see some of the Indian Nations and their corresponding casinos be built green.

On a recent trip to China, Patel had the opportunity to speak to architectural students at a local university.  According to Patel, these students were the highest achievers and quite brilliant.  They are excited and eager to build as sustainably as possible.  However, the most intriguing question they asked was, what do you recommend we do to practice green architecture?  Patel told them that besides being a good architect, they also needed to be good salesmen and educate their clients.  An architect can’t just think and design, they must communicate those ideas.  A person can talk as much as they want, but unless our ideas are implemented, it doesn’t do much good.

That is a message we can all use as we go about creating the green.



*The Henderson Building is LEED Registered, but has not yet received its final certification ruling from the USGBC.

# # #

Coachella Valley Green (CVG) is an information gateway to the people, businesses and places that are green and sustainable within the Coachella Valley of CA and beyond--including Palm Springs, Palm Desert, La Quinta and Indio.