Twigs, leaves, bits of string and plastic, all make their way into nests to provide structure and softness. This vignette mimics that through materials with a dash of robin's egg blue. From back to front:
-Barkhouse Sanded Poplar Panels
-TorZo Tiikeri Recycled Sorghum Straw Sheets, Turquoise
-Meld Micro Recycled Glass and Concrete Slabs, Saddleback
-Durat recycled solid surface for horizontal or vertical surfaces, color 280
While we have long been fans of Bill McDonough’s work and the design philosophy espoused in the book, “Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things”, we’ve had our reservations about fully embracing Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Certification as the eco-label of choice, but NO MORE! Over the past two years, C2C Certification has quietly transformed into a non-profit, third-party verified, multi-attribute assessment that rewards exceptional design for sustainable and healthy materials.
The catalyst of this change was the creation of the non-profit Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute with the mission of exponentially increasing the number of certified products through education, training independent assessors, administering a process for third-party auditing and issuing certifications.
This is timely given the materials revolution happening in the green building industry. The USGBC has recently revamped the Materials and Resource section for LEED 2012. While still in draft form, a few things are clear. There is a move towards greater transparency, multi-attribute assessment vs. single attribute, closed-loop recycling, and a more comprehensive approach to valuing certifications according to depth, transparency, and rigor. These changes move LEED a little closer to the process involved in Cradle to Cradle Certification.
The first stage of Certification requires companies to define every ingredient in their product down to the parts per million. This might seem simple enough, but when you consider the layers of a supply chain and concern about proprietary ingredients, this can be a time consuming task. However, the market is demanding this level of transparency as evidenced in the Healthy Product Declaration Forum and the new LEED 2012 MR credit: Material Life Cycle Disclosure and Assessment. This first step in C2C Certification meets the demand for transparency.
Once the product ingredients have been fully defined, each ingredient is assessed for its risk to human health and the environment. This takes a chemist/toxicologist type expert but the outcome is a full assessment of the product down to the parts per million. Just knowing if the ingredient is harmful is not enough. If there are persistent bio-accumulative toxins present in the product, it cannot be certified. Eliminating “Chemicals of Concern” is a mantra being advanced by several organizations including: LEED 2012 MR credit: Disclosure of Chemicals of Concern and MR credit: Avoidance of Chemicals of Concern, Perkins + Will’s Transparency initiative, the Living Building Challenge Red List and the ongoing work of the Pharos project to name only a few. At this stage, in addition to human and environmental health, products are also assessed on multiple attributes involving manufacturing and organizational processes including material reutilization, renewable energy, water stewardship, and social responsibility.
Once the product and manufacturing processes have been fully defined and assessed, the manufacturers work towards optimizing their processes and product by increasing their efforts to ensure material reutilization, renewable energy, clean water, and social responsibility as well as by eliminating or replacing undesirable ingredients with safer alternatives or redesigning products to eliminate the need for the chemical altogether. As they achieve greater optimization, they are granted higher and higher levels of certification (Basic, Silver, Gold, Platinum).
The level of rigor embodied in Cradle to Cradle Certification is unprecedented in the marketplace and requires companies to make a serious investment in innovative sustainability strategies. As such, it is time to revisit Cradle to Cradle Certification as a standard for measuring sustainable materials.
Full disclosure: Stacy Glass is serving as an Executive in Residence for the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute and is advising on accelerating certified products for the built environment.
Spring is here and daffodils were among the first flowers to sprout and bloom. Just like the flower, this palette is simple and cheerful. Materials from back to front:
-TorZo Orient recycled wood sheets for horizontal and vertical surfaces, Natural
-Meld Luxe recycled glass and concrete countertops, Natural
-Durat recycled solid surface for horizontal or vertical surfaces, colors 800 & 090
Durat has added two colors to their paint box of recycled solid surface material. The first is #310, a brilliant yellow reminiscent of honey, saffron, and school buses. And the other is #370, a turquoise evoking images of peacocks and pools. Durat offers over 70 vibrant colors. If you still can’t find the exact hue you need, custom colors are available. Click here for more information on Durat.
CaraGreen just visited the new AIA North Carolina Center for Architecture and Design in Raleigh. The building design was selected through a competition, which was won by Frank Harmon Architect PA. The 12,000 sqft building was built to a LEED platinum standard and is a role model for sustainable design. If driving to the site, the “parking garden” greets you to the building and is a porous pebbly surface which collects storm water runoff and has native plantings. A buried rainwater collection cistern captures every drop of rainwater for reuse. This space functions for both parking and green event space. To optimize natural day-lighting and ventilation, the building is South facing. On our tour, director David Crawford demonstrated how the windows opened on opposite sides for an amazing flow of fresh air. The building uses geothermal heating and cooling. And deep roof overhangs protect the interior from harsh summer sun. The majority of the interior finish materials are local and sustainable, including carpets and concrete countertops. The building is open to the public, so stop by if you have a chance. There are free exhibits that highlight architecture and design that change often to take in while you’re there, as well as a library space with resources on all things architecture. For more information, visit their website.
