2009 New York Design Week Download - Durat Bench by Karim Rashid
After a successful launch in NYC last week, Durat is now in stock and ready for use by the architect and design community. Durat, which comes in over 70 colors, contains 30-50% recycled content. During Design Week, we exhibited Durat at a Finnish design event in the meatpacking district. A curvaceous Durat bench designed by Karim Rashid was the star of the show which utlized the range of Durat colors that are available with its stripes of pink, lime green, black, gray, and white. Durat tables and sinks in a vivid array of colors were also on display amongst other products from Finnish design companies, such as Marimekko.
Golden Arches Going Green in Cary, NC
In mid-July, North Carolina’s first green McDonald’s restaurant opened at 1299 Kildaire Farm Road in Cary, NC marking it as only the third of its kind nationwide to be built using eco-friendly materials and technologies. Development of the restaurant began with McDonald’s Owner/Operator Ric Richards who wanted to refurbish the 25-year-old building. As reconstruction options evolved, Richards said the environmental impact became clear: building a structure dedicated to sustainability would mean significant cost savings and reduced energy consumption. “Even though the costs to build this McDonald’s were higher in the near term, we knew that going forward with this green initiative we would set the stage for more savings long-term, both financially and environmentally,” Richards said.
Goodberry’s Creamery in Raleigh Integrates Sustainability Into New Shop
Goodberry's Creamery at Cameron Village in Raleigh, NC has integrated sustainable building practices and materials into its new store design with the help of local Raleigh architects Bret Page and Andy Osterlund.
Goodberry's goal for this store was to educate customers about their frozen custard, which has always been made from just a few natural ingredients. So, using natural building materials in the construction was an easy decision. In one of their first meetings, the Goodberry’s owner showed the team a painting of a dairy farm that hung in their office. The painting had an avant-garde style and highlighted their key ingredients. We wanted to bring that style and those highlights into the store.
Goodberry’s suggested bamboo floors early on, for their rapidly renewable nature and modern aesthetic. The Plyboo Strand flooring, which CaraGreen distributes, was a perfect choice because of its extreme hardness and stability despite heavy traffic and regular cleaning.
The service counter and table tops, where Meld ecoX is installed, also available through CaraGreen, needed to be durable, cleanable, and have a solid, cool, stone feel. Goodberry’s signature custard is their “Concrete” mixed with your choice of topping. Meld concrete was archetypical. They loved the color, the weight, and that it was pre-cast locally with recycled aggregate.
Lighting in the store was carefully considered; electric lighting in the store is efficient, compact fluorescents help to maintain the color of daylight, and LEDs create fun, bright color highlights while using minimal energy. Other sustainable features include the restrooms, which have automatic faucets for convenience and to conserve water. And, Goodberry’s custom-made custard equipment was even modified to be more energy efficient!
This project sets a great example for the future of Cameron Village and for restaurants that would like to integrate more sustainability into their spaces.
New Products Fresh From Greenbuild
With 28,000 attendees and over 1000 exhibitors at Greenbuild in Phoenix, there was much to be seen at this year's show. We had our work cut out for us making it through the crowds to see all of the exhibitors in two days, but we did it. We saw many new products that excited us, including the latest offererings from our manufacturers who exhibited there, who are continually improving and expanding their offerings. Here are some of the highlights of what is coming from them in 2010:
TorZo Surfaces
- Edge banding! These strong, durable, and sustainable sheet goods are great for tabletops, desks, cabinets, etc. With edge banding coming out for the entire line, not only will the finished product be more beautiful, but the fabrication will be more cost effective.
- ½” Seeta (sunflower seed hull) boards that are more dense (fewer voids) and less expensive than the standard ¾” sheets – a great option for this unique look.
- We got a sneak preview of some new bio-based boards currently in development. They are top secret now, but stay tuned for new unique looks from this line of surfaces.
Smith & Fong / Plyboo
- The Launch of Sideways, a unique American hardwood engineered flooring line that is FSC, NAF, and made in America. The wood is thermal processed to create deep, rich colors with no stain or dye and also increases hardness and durability. This is a great combination of durability, sustainability, and beauty.
- Plyboo Announces SoyBond. 2-years of research went into developing a bio-based adhesive solution for the PlybooPure line of plywood and flooring products. This product goes beyond the no-added urea-formaldehyde requirement and is completely formaldehyde-free. In addition, soy adhesives are not hazardous to workers during the manufacturing process and do not require hazardous waste disposal. The Plyboo line of bamboo just keeps getting better…a rapidly renewable material that is completely non-toxic, available in FSC, and improved social conditions in the manufacturing process.
- Durapalm - Look for new Palm ‘stacked’ wall panels in 2010
Bonded Logic /UltraTouch
- Duct insulation and Pipe wrap: Finally! You no longer need to wrap your duct work and pipe in fiberglass. This foil laminated, r-8, cotton fiber insulation has 85% recycled rapidly-renewable cotton fibers. The duct insulation will come in 12” wide, 2” thick, and 15’ long bundles. The pipe wrap is 3” wide, ½” thick, and 50’ long.
Coverings, Etc.
- Bio-Aluminum: 100% recycled aluminum from salvaged aircraft carriers. 100% recyclable and Cradle to Cradle certified. A great new option for high-traffic flooring and high-end wall treatments.
As samples and pricing become available, we will announce these new products through our monthly newsletter and on our website.
Plyboo Flooring In Asheville’s Newest Boutique Hotel
While in Asheville, NC over the holidays, I popped into the newly opened Hotel Indigo hoping to see the Plyboo flooring that was installed there. Jared Breneman, a "Service In.Bassador" at the hotel, was kind enough to take us to the top of the hotel and give us a tour of one of the penthouse condos where the flooring was installed. The condo had Plyboo's Amber Flat Grain bamboo flooring throughout, which looked fabulous alongside the amazing mountain views of the condo. Hotel Indigo also used the lighter, Natural Flat Grain bamboo flooring in other spaces, all of which was installed by Pearlman's Carpet. The hotel has a distinguishing mix of natural and modern materials and furnishings throughout. The lobby was dotted with tables with Kirei tops (recycled sorghum straw board similar to Tiikeri). 3-form partitions were used around the community computer station. And, a wall with river rocks enclosed in a metal screen structure provided a dramatic backdrop for the reception desk. Check out these pictures::
Trip to Beyu Caffe to See Restaurant Design
My husband and I recently took a trip to Beyu Caffe which just opened in the heart of downtown Durham in the historic art deco Snow Building on Main Street. The space was designed by Raleigh architect and interior design firm Hager Smith along with Beyu owner Dorian Bolden. The evening we ventured out was a cold, rainy February night and when we got to Beyu it was a relief to be in a space that was warm, cozy, and inviting.
The art deco style of the building has been carried through the interior with rich paint and fabric colors, bold and curvy shapes in furniture and lighting, and exotic finishes. The centerpiece of the cafe is the bar, which is made of Plyboo Neopolitan architectural plywood (available through CaraGreen). Neopolitan is made from 100% rapidly renewable bamboo, making it a sustainable choice, and it is available in Plyboo Pure (no added formaldehyde). Another green design feature at Beyu is the vintage furniture used in the space amongst new pieces; keeping furniture in use keeps it out of the landfill and reduces the need for new furniture, which saves valuable raw materials and energy that go into manufacturing. Beyu also focuses on supporting the local community. Artwork in the shop is from LabourLove Gallery, and depicts various scenes from the Bull City. And, much of their food is locally sourced.
Beyu offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner along with an extensive drink and dessert menu and live jazz music. For more info, visit Beyu's website. Pics from our evening at Beyu are below:
Chapel Hill Modernist Home Uses CaraGreen Finishes in Renovation
The News and Observer recently covered the renovation of a mid-century modern home in Chapel Hill, which used CaraGreen finishes. The renovation involved a three-story addition, which was needed to accommodate a growing family. Louis Cherry of Cherry Huffman Architects came up with the new design, which complemented the existing mid-century structure. The master bedroom was moved to the ground floor of the addition with a studio and wine cellar going on the lower level and a rooftop dining area on top. The space connects beautifully with the surrounding woods with expansive windows that let in natural light and show the outdoors, a deck off the master bedroom, and the rooftop terrace.
Sustainable and natural materials were used in the renovation, many of which CaraGreen provided. Rapidly renewable Plyboo Foundation Brown bamboo flooring was used throughout the home. Eco-Cem panels, made with recycled wood fibers, were used for wall panels in the master bathroom (Coal Grey) and for flooring on the rooftop terrace (Natural Grey). And, Eco-Gres recycled porcelain mosaic tile (Dover White) was used for flooring in the master bathroom.
Read the full story, complete with a gallery of images, here.
Talon Court Project Integrates Sustainable Materials Throughout and Receives LEED Platinum
In Wilmington, NC, Talon Court has become the greenest remodel in the nation by earning LEED Platinum with 113.5 points. To achieve this, every detail of the home, from water and energy conservation, to interior finishes, was carefully considered. When CaraGreen visited the home, the indoor air quality was obvious and we admired how every surface told a story. Floors are rapidly renewable bamboo strand. Doors are crafted from strips of reclaimed scrap wood. Countertops are locally made concrete. Feature walls are adorned with Kirei board. Torzo Seeta is used for a bar and built-ins. And, the list goes on. Sapona Green Building Center in Wilmington, NC, a retail partner of CaraGreen, provided the majority of the interior materials for the project. The owner and mastermind behind the project, architect Jay DeChesere, also tells a great story about the home on his website. The residence was the home of his parents, Jean and John DeChesere, from 1986 until recently, when they moved to an independent living facility (they're 95 and 98 yrs old respectively). With the housing market having turned down, they were unable to sell their home. So, Jay, and his wife, Heather Smith, decided to buy the home to relieve them of the stress of selling it. As an architect focusing on Green Design, and being on the Board of Directors of the Cape Fear Green Building Alliance, Jay envisioned a complete renovation of this home under the USGBC’s LEED for Homes rating system. This is the first project of this category (a gut-rehab) under LEED for Homes in NC and the second in the Southeast region. Jay assembled a design team and an advisory team to lend their expertise to the project. A few of the renovation highlights are the solar panel hot water system, green roof installation, water harvesting tank, geothermal air handling unit, and sustainable materials integrated into the interior design.
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