Jul 20, 2010 Author: Carrie Moore
Greenbridge in Chapel Hill, NC is a mixed-use development seeking LEED Gold certification. It has world-class energy, water, and air quality management, then goes beyond to provide thoughtfully selected sustainable interior materials throughout. The team on this project includes William McDonough, architect, Sitzer Spuria Studios, interior design, Weaver Cooke Wilson, general contracting, and CaraGreen, materials supplier.
We’ll be covering various aspects of Greenbridge’s design over the next few months as the building nears completion. This month, our focus is on countertops. Owners were given the choice of Meld ecoX, Eco-Terr, or granite for kitchen and bathroom tops. EcoX contains 70% recycled glass in a concrete base. Slabs are made locally in Raleigh, NC and everything that goes into them is sourced from within 500 miles of the manufacturing facility. Eco-Terr also contains 70% recycled content, but it is comprised of granite and marble chips, leftover from quarry production, in a cementitious binder. Both ecoX and Eco-Terr are hard, durable surfaces and sustainable alternatives to granite. The use of these high-recycled content materials helps weave Greenbridge's sustainability story together throughout the building and brings it to life for the building's residents.
For samples of ecoX or Eco-Terr, contact us.
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Jul 20, 2010 Author: Carrie Moore
Kitchens and Baths magazine by Woman’s Day recently covered the remodel of Ulla Lange’s kitchen, in which she used Durat for countertops and Eco-Gres Asia tile for a backsplash (both available through CaraGreen).
Ulla lives in a 1960s ranch home in Boulder, Colorado and is an interior designer with a masters degree in architecture. Her old kitchen was cramped and disorganized, unlike the rest of her airy home, so she decided to become her own client and embark on an environmentally-friendly remodel of the space. She gutted the room and altered the layout to make it more functional and inviting. Ulla selected Durat solid surface material, which contains 30% pre-consumer recycled content, for countertops. She used a warm-gray Durat color along walls, and for a center peninsula, she used a heavenly blue shade. “I wanted splashes of color to keep it fresh, but not so much that it would be overwhelming” said Ulla. She also used two shades of Eco-Gres Asia recycled porcelain tile for her backsplash, a pale blue and wheat-gray. These 1" x 6" tiles contain 36% pre-consumer recycled content. For cabinetry, she used locally produced, formaldehyde-free cabinets with a wheatboard core. For cabinet doors, some are white melamine and others are 3form eco-resin with capiz shells embedded in between layers. To complete her remodel, she upgraded her old appliances for new energy efficient ones and put in long-lasting halogen bulbs for lighting. The final result is a modern kitchen that is practical, fun, and environmentally conscientious.
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Jul 11, 2010 Author: Carrie Moore
CaraGreen is committed to sharing our knowledge of green building materials. And soon, we'll be able to do this in book form. Traci Rose Rider of Trace Collaborative, along with Stacy Glass and Jessica McNaughton from CaraGreen, have written a book titled Understanding Green Building Materials, which is now available for Pre-Order through Amazon. The book explains green building products - what they are and how to choose them. From eco-friendly sheetrock to sustainable paint finishes, the green building movement is gaining momentum. But with new products, manufacturers, and standards being introduced routinely, how are architects or designers to know what's best for their projects? This book summarizes what is available and the considerations for selecting sustainable materials.
To reserve your copy, click here.
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