“Hotel Marcel was conceived to be more than just a hotel. It’s intended to be a place to convene people for sharing ideas and social events.” – Bruce Redman Becker

Along with other Connecticut drivers along I-95, Bruce Redman Becker often noticed a boxy-looking building along New Haven’s Long Wharf district.

However, Becker went further by giving this vacant space — a Brutalist-style structure by modernist architect and furniture designer Marcel Breuer —  a new purpose. It has become the first Passive House-certified hotel in the United States.

Opened in May 2022, the Hotel Marcel New Haven, Tapestry Collection by Hilton also has garnered LEED Platinum certification. A member of the Hilton brand, his electric boutique hotel runs completely free of fossil fuels. 

Becker, the building’s owner, incorporated his commitment to sustainability as this building project’s lead architect developer. 

Built in 1968 for the Armstrong Rubber Company’s headquarters, the building’s ownership changed hands over the years. It went to the Pirelli tire company in 1988, and then to IKEA, with a next-door store location, in 2003.

Purchased by Becker’s architectural firm, Becker + Becker, in 2019, the former Pirelli building underwent a three-year adaptation. Its interior was overhauled through the installment of new mechanical and electrical systems along with partitions and finishes.

While learning extensively about hotel development, Becker recognized that it was even more critical for him to find a way for the project to avoid causing carbon emissions.

“More carbon emissions come from the building of buildings,” Becker said. “So, if you can reuse the existing building, you’ve already got 95 percent of the problem solved.”

To obtain Passive House certification, five criteria must be met. Among them is the category of Primary Energy Demand. In its fulfilment, the hotel’s walls, windows, and surfaces were fully insulated and sealed to maintain consistent room temperatures and avoid causing drafts or having heat seeping out.

Fresh air systems were also implemented to improve indoor air quality. One hundred percent filtered fresh air is supplied to all spaces and an energy recovery ventilator is used to recover thermal energy from exhaust air.

Similar practices were applied to onsite operations. The laundry facility is equipped with electric washing machines having high-speed extraction and an ozone system designed to reduce the use of chemicals and hot water and drying times for handling linens. Renewal energy is produced from more than 1,000 solar panels aligning the hotel’s rooftop and canopies belonging to the adjacent parking lot.

This complimentary parking area contains 24 EV charging stations. Half of them are universal and the other half are for Tesla vehicles.

As an alternative to driving around nearby, Hotel Marcel’s electric shuttle service operates within a five-mile radius. Stops can include Yale University and its affiliated museums and New Haven’s Union Station. Or guests can request to be brought to Wooster Street to try New Haven-style pizza at Sally’s Apizza or Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana.

Amid its adaptive reuse, much of this Brutalist building’s characteristics linger. On the exterior, a composition of Mosai panels (high-strength precast concrete panels) frames all 525 windows. Reminders of its past are found within the interior, first with a two-story void located on the ground floor. Stairwells remain equipped with the building’s original trapezoidal terrazzo treads and risers, while older photographs and office furnishings are displayed throughout public areas.

With 165 guestrooms and suites across four categories, their Bauhaus-inspired interior design is reflected through minimalist touches coinciding with modern in-room technology. Triple-glazed glass windows block out noise pollution from the neighboring Interstate. The Historic Suites stand out through incorporating restored original wood paneling in walnut, mahogany, and ebony.

Each guestroom holds a Marcel Breuer-designed Cesca desk chair with Anni Albers-designed upholstery. This popular model has been often reproduced and one original chair belongs in the Museum of Modern Art’s collection.

As for onsite dining, BLDG is the ground-floor restaurant and bar and coffee bar. Its menu applies ingredients from Connecticut farmers and suppliers toward breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. A separate cocktail bar sits amid a sunken lounge area. The overall bar program incorporates beers and spirits by Connecticut breweries and distilleries and the wine list features sustainable, organic, and biodynamic varieties.

In further driving sustainability, the hotel has introduced a Climate Wake-Up Call program, re-envisioning this traditional service as a series of phone recordings on climate change facts.

Along with a 24/7 fitness center, Hotel Marcel offers over 9,000 square feet of flexible meeting space split between its first and ninth floors. They’ve become a hub of activity in hosting events and meetings. One was recently conducted by the Electric Vehicle Club of Connecticut, of which Becker is chairman. 

For Becker, this news is really exciting, “because Hotel Marcel was conceived to be more than just a hotel. It’s intended to be a place to convene people for sharing ideas and social events.”