Friday, January 24, 2014

Invision's Objects Made Exhibit and Presentation February 11, 2014

ATLANTA TO HOST INVISION’S
OBJECTS MADE EXHIBIT AND PRESENTATION

Event Unveils Inspiring and Unexpected Insights on Trends Shaping Product Design

DALTON, Ga. (Jan. 23, 2014) — Objects Made, a one-hour presentation and exhibit that unveils the inspirational and unexpected trends shaping product design today, is coming to Atlanta on Feb. 11, 2014.  Commissioned by Invision, the presentation reveals the research conducted by noted designer Sarah Miller who spent more than a year meeting with 21 craftspeople from various industries to discover how object makers approach the design process. The presentation is IDCEC accredited for 0.1 CEU. 

The event, being hosted at the Museum of Design Atlanta (1315 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30309) is free and open to professional architects and designers, but space is limited.  The registration, reception and exhibition, featuring all 21 objects from Miller’s research, will open at 5:30 p.m.  Miller’s presentation will begin at 6:15 p.m., followed by a Q&A session. The exhibit will open again from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Attendees will have the chance to network before and after Miller’s presentation during the exhibition’s open times. 

Miller’s presentation provides the context, rationale and methodology of her research and the results she uncovered.  Those results include 10 Design Themes and four color and materials palette trends.  A profile of each object maker, many of whom are entrepreneurs creating products ranging from decorative lamps to environmentally friendly stacking chairs, is also provided.  

More information about Objects Made, including the other cities Objects Made will be visiting, is available at http://www.jj-invision.com/blog/entry/objects-made

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About J+J Flooring Group
Established in 1957, J+J Flooring Group is a leading manufacturer of commercial specified flooring.  With our two brands - Invision broadloom and modular carpet and Kinetex® textile composite flooring - we provide a range of product and service solutions to meet the needs of our customers in the corporate workplace, education, healthcare, retail and hospitality sectors.

Media Contacts:
Matt Spaulding
Spaulding Communications
1 404 270 1010

Natalie Faulkner
Director of Marketing Communications
1 706 529 2100 ext. 8311

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

IIDA Member Spotlight: David Ramsey, IIDA

Welcome to 2014! We hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season and here is to a prosperous new year!



Wednesday, October 2, 2013

IIDA Member Spotlight: Holley Henderson


If you are interested in further reading here is a link to Holley's book, Becoming a Green Building Professional: A Guide to Careers in Sustainable Architecture, Design, Engineering, Development, and Operations


Friday, September 27, 2013

Fortunately: Better products and practices moving to the forefront


Submitted by:
Meghan Woodcock, EDAC 
SCAD Professor, Interior Design
IIDA Sustainability Forum Director

Written by:
Nancy Suitt Bennett. IIDA Industry Representative
Principal
Main Solutions


Fortunately, the world of furniture and textiles has embraced the need to produce products that are more environmentally friendly.  Many manufacturers have been proponents of environmental practices for years, but certainly with designers and architects reaching to achieve LEED certification the focus on better products and practices has come to the forefront.

Carnegie just introduced the first high-performance interior textile in the world with a majority of plant based content.   Carnegie is a company that has been focusing on environmentally friendly policies even when it was not a buzzword.  The newest introduction by Carnegie has been 7 years in the making, achieving the first Gold Cradle to Cradle Certification wallcovering with their new introduction of BIOBASED XOREL. 



Carnegie has had a commitment to the environment since the 1980’s when they chose not to introduce vinyl into the collection based on vinyl’s negative environmental impact.  Xorel was developed in 1981 as an alternate to vinyl wallcovering that was not only beautiful, but also achieved high performance at a cost effective price point.  Furthermore, XOREL can be used for wallcovering, panels, and upholstery.

Bio based XOREL is plant based and contains between 60-85% bio content.  (US government guidelines require products to have 25% bio content to be labeled a Biobased product)   It has a significantly reduced carbon footprint over petroleum based products.

So what the heck is this biobased renewable resource?  The bioelectricity is generated through sugar cane waste. (Now as we know in the South…sugarcane today ….KUDZU tomorrow!) Sugar cane has a lower carbon emission rate compared with some of the other biobased materials.  For each ton of sugar cane used in production, 2.5 tons of carbon is captured.  Very technical!  The take away is Carnegie is committed to creating a beautiful product that works for you and the environment.

Biobased XOREL, though challenging to produce, looks, costs, and performs the same as XOREL.  The first introduction offers 6 designs in 91 colorways.   CARNEGIE also has the “responsible return program” where all XOREL products can be returned to Carnegie at the end of their useful life for proper reuse. 


Another manufacturer that rocks the environmental world of table bases is FALCON.    Recycled engine blocks have fueled the content of their bases for years.  Who knows…maybe you are sitting at a table and the base is made out of the first car you ever drove…or your parent’s car.  You know the car you were told to drive with tender loving care and you immediately threw care to the wind as soon as you left the drive!


For 35 years Falcon has recycled more than 150,000 tons of car parts to create their table bases.  The bases are 100% recyclable.  Each recycled ton of car parts is equal to about 100 table bases.  Also, Falcon uses an electric induction furnace that emits minimal air pollutants versus a blast furnace and smoke stack. 
As they say at FALCON…”turn up the base”!

Friday, September 13, 2013

Looking Ahead: Sustainability Events 2013-2014


Written by:
Meghan Woodcock, EDAC 
SCAD Professor, Interior Design
IIDA Sustainability Forum Director


Looking Ahead: Sustainability Events 201314
2013–14 offers a wide range of events focused on bringing environmentally minded individuals together. Engaging activities, diverse line-ups and thought-provoking content promise to continue raising awareness and inspire the next set of meaningful steps towards change. From conservation efforts and film festivals focused on the urgent environmental issues of our time to understanding the built environment's most rigorous and ambitious performance standards and the world's largest expo dedicated to green building, here’s a glance at what’s coming up in 2013–14.

Georgia

Smart Cities and Ecosystems
Thursday, October 3, 2013 6:00PM – 8:00PM // Atlanta, GA
usgbcga.memberclicks.net/index.php?option=com_mc&view=mc&Itemid=110

2013 Forestry Symposium
Oct 4, 2013 8:30 AM // Athens, GA
usgbcga.memberclicks.net/index.php?option=com_mc&view=mc&Itemid=110

Understanding the Living Building Challenge Public Workshop
December 5, 2013 // Atlanta, GA

living-future.org/events/understanding-living-building-challenge-workshop-atlanta-ga

Greenprints 
March 1213  2014 //  Atlanta, GA
greenprints.org


National
Understanding the Living Building Challenge Public Workshop
September 25, 2013 // Cincinnati, OH

living-future.org/events/understanding-living-building-challenge-public-workshop-cincinnati-oh

The New Metrics of Sustainable Business Conference
September 24
25, 2013 // Philadelphia, PA
sustainablebrands.com/events/sbiif/newmetrics13

Understanding the Living Building Challenge Public Workshop
October 11, 2013 // New York, NY

living-future.org/events/understanding-living-building-challenge-public-workshop-new-york-ny

Leadership Summit on Sustainable Design
October 6– 8, 2013 // Minneapolis, MN
www.di.net/events/summit

Net Zero Cities 2013
October 23– 24, 2013 // Fort Collins, CO
netzerocities.net

CitiesAlive 11th Annual Green Roof & Wall Conference
October 23, 2013 - October 26, 2013 // San Francisco, CA, USA
citiesalive.org

BECC 2013 – Behavior, Energy & Climate Change Conference
November 18 – 20, 2013 // Sacramento, CA
beccconference.org

2013 Greenbuild International Conference & Expo
November 20-22, 2013 // Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
greenbuildexpo.org/faqs/General-Information.aspx

DC Environmental Film Festival 2014
March 18-30, 2014 // Washington, D.C.
dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org

Living Future 2014
May 2123, 2014 // Portland, OR

living-future.org/unconference2014

San Francisco 4th Annual Green Film Festival
May 29June 4, 2014 // San Francisco, CA
sfgreenfilmfest.org

Sustainable Brands '14 Conference
June 2
5, 2014 // San Diego, CA
sustainablebrands.com/events/sb14/register

2014 Greenbuild International Conference & Expo
November 810, 2014 // New Orleans, LA
details TBA

International
Sustainable Brands London Conference
November 18-19, 2013 // London, England

www.sustainablebrands.com/events/sblondon13/register

Understanding the Living Building Challenge Public Workshop
November 19, 2013 // Madrid, Spain

living-future.org/events/understanding-living-building-challenge-workshop-madrid-spain

Understanding the Living Building Challenge Public Workshop
November 21, 2013 // Barcelona, Spain

living-future.org/events/understanding-living-building-challenge-workshop-barcelona-spain

14th Annual Environmental Film Festival
November 21–24, 2013 // Toronto, Canada
planetinfocus.org/film-festival

2014 International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability
January 2224 2014 // The University of Split, Split, Croatia
onsustainability.com/the-conference

Ecobuild 2014
March 46, 2014 //  London, England
ecobuild.co.uk

International Conference on Sustainable Design and Construction Engineering
April 2930, 2014 // Paris, France
waset.org/conferences/2014/france2014/icsdce/