A model of sustainable hotel in Dana Biosphere Reserve, Jordan.
Feynan Ecolodge, situated in the pristine Dana Biosphere Reserve, is a first for ecotourism in Jordan. Owned by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) and operated by EcoHotels. Feynan Ecolodge integrates conservation and socio-economic development while promoting the importance of the natural environment.
Feynan Ecolodge utilizes minimal electricity and is not connected to the electricity grid. Solar/Photovoltaic (PV) panels provide the electricity utilized at the lodge. Only essential electrical appliances are used, and those employed are certified to use very low amounts of energy.
The washrooms and the kitchen are the only areas electrically lighted, and use energy saving light bulbs. Candles are utilized throughout the lodge at night, positioned in carved niches in the guestrooms for light and ambiance. The candles are made onsite by local Bedouin women.
Solar panels are used to heat water for guest bathrooms and kitchen use. Waste from olive pressing known as jift in Arabic or olive pit charcoal is burned in the fireplaces at the lodge during winter. This preserves Jordan’s trees and utilizes a renewable source of energy that is a natural by-product of Jordan’s annual olive harvest.
A well conceived design provides the lodge with an integral courtyard linked to outer patios providing soft breezes and shady spots to rest. Perpendicular outcrops on the lodge’s facades shade outer surfaces and provide aesthetically appealing contrasts.
Feynan Ecolodge
