The award-winning manufacturer of environmentally friendly architectural products is generating buzz with its other-worldly panel systems, custom forms and Euro-style furniture made of Ecoresin™, a high-performance polyester resin composed of 40 percent post-industrial product and up to 95 percent recyclable content. The multitasking translucent material can be infused with almost any color or digital design, imbedded with a multitude of “interlayers” — from botanical grass to hand-torn paper — and molded into just about any shape.
Struttura, a prismatic collection with various textures and core designs, is being used for interior, exterior and flooring applications. 3form Glass encases three-dimensional elements (say, cattails or sea shells) in poured Ecoresin between panels of quarter-inch tempered glass.
Green is a selling point for an increasing number of homeowners.
3form also gets bonus points for its social impact. Indigenous people are employed to collect or craft the natural materials encapsulated in the ethereal Full Circle line. Fallen palm husks are harvested by rural Columbians, tsunami-ravished Indonesian villagers are put to work collecting shells and river rocks, and African women affected by HIV weave the wire-mesh Ithemba designs.
The company’s manufacturing process is free of VOCs (volatile organic compounds), solvents and emissions, and its recycled packaging materials are environmentally sensitive. And the company’s marketing materials are printed on 100 percent recycled paper, naturally.
Eco-Speak
Stumped about the difference between “green design” and “sustainable design”? Know your VOCs from your CFCs? Here’s a glossary from the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) of some key terms to use when speaking (or spec-ing) in the language of environmentally friendly design.
Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC): Chemical compound found in aerosols and manufacturing; believed responsible for depleting the earth’s ozone layer.
Electromagnetic Fields (EMF): Emissions from electrical power lines or electrical wiring linked to serious health problems.
Embodied Energy: Energy required to produce, transport and assemble materials.
Engineered Lumber: Recycled-wood materials.
Gray Water: Recyclable wastewater from washbasins, bathtubs, showers and clothes washers.
Green Architecture, Environmentally Responsible Design and Environmentally Conscious Design: Terms that imply an interest in both green and sustainable design.
Green Design: Design that protects people’s health and well-being while also protecting the environment. Examples: low-odor paints or allergen-free natural fibers.
Harvested Rainwater: Rainwater captured for use indoors or for irrigation.
IAQ: Assessment of indoor air quality to determine levels of pollutants.
LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a certification program for new buildings.
Loose Fit: Buildings that can be easily adapted to new uses.
Material Toxicity: Toxic effect of materials via contact, ingestion or inhalation.
Natural Daylighting: Use of sunlight.
Organic: Anything produced naturally.
Passive Solar: Heating and cooling naturally with energy-efficient materials and site placement.
Photovoltaics: Solar panels.
Renewable: A resource replenished through natural process. Example: bamboo.
Replenishable: Sun, wind or water energy; materials from renewable sources or virtually inexhaustible ones, such as mud.
Sustainable Design: Design that protects global environment and ecosystems. Examples: recycled/recyclable materials or alternative-energy sources.
Total Life-Cycle Costing: Life-cycle analysis, including social costs and benefits, ecological impact of materials, and recyclability of components.
Toxic Off-Gassing: Harmful vapors produced by building materials as they dry or cure.
Volatile Organic Compound (VOC): Chemical substance that produces noxious fumes; found in many paints, caulks, stains and adhesives.
For more terms and information, visit www.idec.org/.
Green Intentions
Green is a selling point for an increasing number of homeowners. But they need more information to help them make environmentally friendly choices, concluded a recent study conducted by the National Association of Home Builders Research Center.
The center surveyed consumers who planned to buy a new home or spend more than $10,000 fixing up their current home. Almost half (46 percent) said they were eager to include green products in their projects. But only 14 percent said they had received information on green products, and most of those who had not planned green features said it was because they weren’t aware of the options.
Many consumers also said they are willing to pay extra for green products. Over two-thirds (64 percent) expressed willingness to spend up to $1,000 more, and nearly 20 percent were willing to invest up to $5,000 more.
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