Nov 29, 2010 Author: Lisa Feldman
Another Greenbuild has come and gone and it was informative and enlightening as always. Located in Chicago this year, it had twice as much floor space as the 2007 event in the same venue. Just goes to show how far we have come in three years. With over 1,000 exhibitors, navigating the floor was quite a task but I and my colleague managed to take it all in. With the obvious focus on energy and water efficiency, much of the expo was devoted to this, but there were still a lot of things to see in the materials department as well. Manufacturers we work with such as Torzo and UltraTouch cotton insulation all had new things to show – Torzo has a new flooring product and UltraTouch unveiled perforated insulation to make it easier to install.
We also took a day to participate in the educational offerings the show has to offer. Presentations on everything from reducing carbon emissions to producing green products to how to make our schools greener are available, with experts in each area to help educate us on things we can do to make our environments – indoor and out - greener and healthier. The over-riding message in all of these courses was that if we as consumers, specifiers, manufacturers, builders, etc., are passionate and educated in our beliefs about sustainable living, and we share that passion with others, we really can change the world.
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Nov 16, 2010 Author: Carrie Moore
Soho Beach House, which just opened this fall in Miami, used Eco-Terr tiles, available through CaraGreen, in its design. Soho Beach House is an oceanfront boutique hotel and private members’ club. This is the third North American property for Soho House, who has properties in Europe as well. Using inspiration from Miami Beach history, Eco-Terr tiles, were a natural fit and used in the lobby and pool area.
Martin Brudnizki was the Interior Designer for the project and combined Miami’s historical South American and Art Deco styles with the Soho brand’s European glamour. Eco-Terr terrazzo tiles were chosen as flooring for both the lobby and the pool deck and washrooms. A traditional wood-paneled lobby exhibits part of Soho House’s art collection, has a Cuban coffee bar, and has a grand piano, which is complimented by Eco-Terr in Oyster White and Moor Green. The Art Deco inspired elegance continues to the pool deck with a 100-foot-long pool bordered by communal lounge beds and gardens where members and guests can relax and socialize while en joying full waiter service. Oyster White and Baby Blue Eco-Terr surround the deck and washrooms and seam nicely with antiqued cement tiles in the adjoining courtyard. The Eco-Terr tiles were cut on site to make various patterns and borders for the floor.
For more information on Eco-Terr Tiles, click here.
Images by Soho Beach House:
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Nov 16, 2010 Author: Carrie Moore
C & J Katz Studio, the designers for the newly opened Treat Cupcake Bar in Needham, MA, used Durat sheet goods in the shop’s design. Jeffrey Katz told CaraGreen that “the shop is aimed at ‘tween' customers, so the idea was to create a bright, happy interior space.” They established a color palette for the interior based on graphics developed by Treat’s graphic design firm.
Katz said, “As we were researching materials, we found a couple of the unusual
colors that we were looking for in the Durat range.” Durat is available in over 80 colors and custom colors are also available. The colors have an intensity and vibrancy to them that make Durat ideal for delivering a punch of color to a space.
At Treat Cupcake Bar, customers can create their own cupcake by selecting the cake flavor, frosting, and toppings. They mix the toppings into the frosting and Katz told us that the other requirement for the material was that it needed to function for the mix-ins, which are prepared directly on the counter in view of the customer. They "ordered a large sample and sent it to the baker so she could test the surface. It worked. So the combination of color, functionality, and durability lead us to specify Durat,” said Katz. Durat was used for work surfaces, a built-in along the window, and to frame the cupcake display. Katz said the response to the store has been excellent, both to the cupcakes and
the design of the space.
For more information on Durat, click here.
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