Office Furniture - Sustainable and Eco-Friendly

Ola!!!!

As I prepare to start my Interior Design Diploma Program, I am starting to source
ECO-FRIENDLY/SUSTAINABLE FURNITURE.

My goal is to have a specialization in Commercial Spaces, which includes office environments.  I started looking at office furniture and learned that it should possess the following qualities:

• Healthy
• Eco-functional
• Affordable
• Refurbished
• Recycled
• No-VOC [Volatile Organic Compound]
• FSC Certified - [Forest Stewardship Council - FSC is a global forestry certification system established for forests and forest products.]

These caught my eye:

HERMAN MILLER MIRRA CHAIR

Herman Miller's Mirra chair is designed to give great back support without fussy adjustments. The innovative design also gives good ventilation, making sitters more comfortable.  Mirra comes in an assortment of appealing colors, and is certified to MBDC Cradle to Cradle Gold and Silver, depending on configuration, as well as Greenguard. Mirra can help your organization earn points for LEED certification. The chair is made to be easily disassembled for recycling at the end of use.

HAG by izzydesign

HAG's Sideways conference chair (pictured) just won a Gold Award from NeoCon World's Trade Fair 2008. The innovative chair, which allows 180-degree movement, is made from 72% recycled content (in the four-star base model) or 51% recycled content (stackable model). The components of both models are 98% recyclable.

KNOLL OFFICE DESIGN

Knoll Office Design moves beyond the boring, ordinary cube with Knoll's flexible office systems. There are many styles, colors, finishes and configurations available, all made with Knoll's cleaner manufacturing.  The company uses water-based adhesives and UV-cured wood coating, and its products are virtually volatile organic compound (VOC)-free. Many are available in FSC-certified composite wood, as well as Greenguard certified.

I strongly feel that the more we do to protect the environment, it will be better for future generations.

Adaptable Homes - The Next Generation

Ola,

I am spending the summer studying to become become a LEED GREEN ASSOCIATE in August 2013. LEADERSHIP IN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN [LEED] consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods. LEED is associated with the United States Green Building Council [USGBC] and the Green Building Certification Institute [GBCI].  Becoming a LEED GREEN ASSOCIATE is the first level of certification credentials and I plan to incorporate what I have learned into my Interior Design Studies, which will begin in September 2013. Being a LEED GREEN ASSOCIATE, will also open doors to new career prospects.

While studying for my LEED Certification, I fell in love with one of the concepts in GREEN BUILDING - ADAPTIVE REUSE. ADAPTIVE REUSE means designing and building a structure in a way that makes it suitable for a future use different than its original use. A good example would be a FLEXIBLE FLOORPLAN to accommodate offices today and apartments tomorrow. 

During this time, I also came across an article on HOUZZ.COM entitled, Meet the Next Generation of Incredibily Adaptable Homes.

MIMA HOUSE

I fell in love with the MIMA HOUSE.  Its design was based on traditional Japanese houses, which are built using a column-spacing grid, known as the ken, and customized inside using movable shoji screens, fusuma panels and tatami mats.  MIMA HOUSE is a prefab home [you all know how I am CRAZY ABOUT PREFAB HOMES] and the architects, Marta Brandao and Mario Sousa, say that the house is about the same price as a midsize car.

GroHome

My second favorite is GroHome, which was developed by Architecture students at Texas A&M University.  GroHome is a modular building system that can be easily expanded, upgraded and modified. The basic structural frame is made from a kit of lightweight, industrial elements (steel, wood or aluminum could be used, based on the particular location’s material availability and climate needs) and finished with prefabricated walls, floors and roofs. Components can be replaced or altered to meet changing homeowner needs. Homeowners can add rooms or sell a few rooms as detached accessory units when the kids go off to college. 

I have a great feeling about my studies and my LEED GREEN ASSOCIATE Certification.
I am looking forward to my future projects and ways in which I can help protect the environment for future generations!








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