Level® - Sustainability Certification for Furniture

Atlantic Collection - Bernhardt

Olá!

Earlier this year, I attended a CEU Seminar on BIFMA Level Standard Furniture.

Level is the sustainability certification program for furniture.

Level^® is the multi-attribute, sustainability standard and third-party certification program for the furniture industry. It has been created to deliver the most open and transparent means of evaluating and communicating the environmental and social impacts of furniture products in the built environment. 

During the lecture, it was noted that after a building has gone through the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Certification Process it could all be nullified due to the fact the furniture used in the Interior Design of the building could contain emit harmful toxins or it may not be of a sustainable origin.

This makes so much sense!

AllSteel Office - Gather Collection

I was so happy that I attended this seminar because it gave me one more tool for my design arsenal.

The images of furniture in today's blog have been identified by Level and has been vetted by an independent third party certifier and its numeric marking 1, 2, or 3 indicates what threshold of certification it has achieved.  

Radius Meeting Series - Davis Furniture

- Eddy

British Furniture Brand - Another Country

Olá!

Recently, I was reading my latest issue DEZEEN MAGAZINE where I came across the British Furniture Company - Another Country.

Another Country's designs are archetypal, summoning the forms of British Country Kitchen, Shaker (one of my favorites), traditional Scandinavian and Japanese woodwork.

One of the things that drew me to Another Country is that the company is sustainable and all of their wooden products are made from certified solid woods in the UK, European and US suppliers.  Every piece is hand assembled and hand finished.

They truly believe that you cannot make furniture in a better way that this!

- Eddy

Literally Green Buildings

PARK ROYAL PICKERING

Recently, I have noticed a trend where greenery is now becoming apart of a building's façade.

The Park Royal Pickering in Singapore is designed as a hotel and office in a garden, the project at Upper Pickering Street is a study of how we can not only conserve our greenery in a built-up high-rise city centre but multiply it in a manner that is architecturally striking, integrated and sustainable.

PARK ROYAL PICKERING - FAÇADE

Another great example of this trend is Stefano Boeri's Vertical Forest

Stefano Boeri's Vertical Forest

The studio led by Italian architect Stefano Boeri came up with the concept of Bosco Verticale, or Vertical Forest, as a way to combine high-density residential development with tree planting in city centres.  The first project born from this concept is now nearing completion in the Isola area of Milan's fast-developing Porta Nuova district. Two towers, measuring 80 and 112 metres, are set to open later this year and are already home to 900 trees.

BOSCO VERTICALE

As urban areas become more and more dense, incorporating greenery is such a great idea. We all need greenery which helps us feel better and at the same time greenery absorbs carbon dioxide and gives us fresh air!

As I start developing my 'Style' in Interior Design, I will be sure to incorporate greenery in my designs.

- Eddy

Paul Rudolph’s Iconic Walker Guest House To Be Re-Constructed

WALKER GUEST HOUSE

I was reading my daily edition of ArchDaily earlier this week, when I came across an article on the Walker Guest House in Sarasota, Florida.  It caught my I 

What I love about this modernist house is its very specific approach to sustainable design.

INTERIOR, WALKER GUEST HOUSE

The Walker Guest House was built in 1952 characterized by a particular attention to climate and terrain. Using only standard, locally sourced materials, the Walker Guest House pays respect to its environmental context of southwest Florida. Large windows and screens on all four sides of the house allow air to flow throughout the dwelling, removing the need for air-conditioning whilst simultaneously providing generous views out towards the landscape.

One of the more whimsical components of the cottage are the series of ropes and pulleys, counterbalanced by large red concrete balls, that control the external window shades. These shades ensure flexibility by providing the dwelling with security, permeability and shelter from the sun. This allows the architecture to remain dynamic, adapting to the changing needs of the occupants while “gracefully” withstanding the elements.

TOTALLY AWESOME!

- Eddy

Are Prefab Homes Ready for the Mass Market?

My dream home from BLU HOMES

Bom Dia!

I came across this article in my newsletter from SOURCEABLE, 
'Are Prefab Homes Ready for the Mass Market?'

As you all already know, I strongly believe in modular homes.  But in the back of my mind, I always wondered - Why hasn't this caught on?

The advantages of prefab building:

• The price  of a manufactured home is significantly less than a site-built home.

• Semi-custom homes coast 20 - 40 percent less per square foot than a standard stick-built home.

•  Unlike site built homes, prefab homes are not exposed to the elements. The sections are built indoors and put together on site.

• Waste is reduced because the material is managed more closely.

• Low-cost factory-built homes are often sold like cars, with a selection available on a dealer's lot, meaning a buyer can have a new home on site in a matter of days.

Pre-Fab home from Wallace Creek

Black Glass Modular Home Design by A-Cero

As you can see from the images I selected for today's blog, these homes can be very SEXY!!

Pre-Fab homes are manufactured in a way that reduces it's impact on the environment and they cost 40-50 percent less than a regular stick home.

Do an internet search on Pre-fab homes and will be amazed at all of the possibilities!!


- Eddy

Giorgio Caporaso Ecodesign Collection

Olá!

Recently, I came across a new eco-sustainable furniture collection for the Hotel and Catering industry in my recent email from Archiproducts.

The Giorgio Caporaso Ecodesign Collection of high-performance innovative products, which are stylish and can be customized to meet an endless array of tastes and requirements. Modular systems and convertible objects that can be repaired, are easy to assemble and disassemble and designed to accommodate the multifarious needs of hotels, restaurants and public houses and bars of the third millennium. 

The pieces that caught my attention are cardboard.

MORE LIGHT Ecodesign Bookshelf

X2CHAIR - Cardboard armchair / lounge chair

X2CHAIR - Wood armchair / lounge chair

When I saw the X2CHAIR in wood, it reminded of the movement in the artwork of my friend João Galrão.  I LOVE his series entitled 'Moments in Pleasure'.  Click on his name to see more of his impressive work.

LARGE JET - Series, Moments of pleasure

Tchau,

Eddy

Bricks Grown From Bacteria

Brick Grown From Bacteria

Olá,

Recently, I came across this article on ArchDaily - BRICKS GROWN FROM BACTERIA.

BioMason is a start-up company that has developed a method of growing bricks from microorganisms and naturally abundant materials.

This method has no negative impact on the environment compared with concrete, glass, steel and wood:

“global cement production in 2008 amounted to 2.8 billion tons, with equivalent quantities of CO2 released into the atmosphere”. The energy intensive series of processes, ranging from extracting of the raw material, transportation, and fuel sources for heating kilns, contribute to the fact that “40% of global carbon dioxide emissions are linked to the construction industry.  - bioMason

Recently, I have become very interested in BIOMIMICRY - the imitation of the models, systems, and elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems. (Wikipedia)

The method discovered by bioMason 'mimics' nature by combining bacteria with a nutrient, nitrogen and calcium source and allows for the formation of natural cement in ambient temperatures.  The materials for biocements are inexpensive, globally abundant and can be sourced from waste byproducts.

BioCement being grown 

The best part is that biocements take less than 5 days to produce a pre-cast material.

I see so many possibilities using this method and the best part, it does not negatively affect the environment.

Mother Nature is SO AWESOME!!

- Eddy