Duro Design is offering a beautiful collection of eco-friendly Eucalyptus flooring. The wood is grown in managed forests in Europe and is available in 12 colors ranging from gray to natural to a warm apricot color. Premium German and Swiss pigments give the flooring its wonderful tints and depth of color.
You’ve probably seen Big Ass Fans in the gym or in some larger space, and that’s because they’re huge and energy efficient. Just last week, Big Ass Fans launched their newest product called the Element Fan. Element uses the 10 airfoil and wiglet design to move air quietly and efficiently. According to BAF: "At standard speed in a room with 16 ft. high ceilings Element is able to create comfortable breezes over an area larger than a basketball court, all while requiring less than 100 watts to operate. That is considerably less energy than even the most efficient small ceiling fan in production today." I’ve been around these gargantuan fans and love them. Seriously, they cool down a large space like nothing I’ve ever seen. Plus, you can really get creative with the colors, so as far as large fans go, this is a dang good option to go with.
I’ve mentioned Kirei in projects previously, but I’ve never really blogged about it. Kirei, or きれい, is Japanese for pretty, beautiful, pure, or clean — an apt description for this popular green product. Constructed of reclaimed agricultural fiber (which is heat-pressed with a non-toxic adhesive), Kirei Board is lightweight and durable. It’s often used as a finish material in flooring, furniture, cabinets, and other interior design applications. Use of Kirei Board may help contribute towards credits for LEED certification, depending on a variety of factors …
BONUS:
*WIR = Week in Review; a Saturday showcase of excellent links.
The fulcrum of the green building revolution, I think, is conservation and living happily with less. It’ll be interesting to see how we get there, to see if we can live lighter. In the meantime, I like to monitor small projects to see what piques the interest of crowds. Lately Abōd® has been getting some quality attention. Abōd was honored by the AIA this year with a Small Project Award. The AIA explained the concept: "The design goal was to develop a breakthrough in value-engineered lowest cost housing with an extensive array of add-on options to personalize each home. The resulting design incorporating the Catenary arch is simple and structurally sound but also aesthetically pleasing and can be built by 4 people in just one day with only a screwdriver and an awl."
I was blown away by Alberto Mozó‘s simple and clean design for the Edificio BIP Computers building in Santiago de Chile. It’s an unassuming three-story structure built on a lot that’s zoned to allow a larger structure of up to twelve stories in height. Knowing that the building may not last very long (due to the favorable location and zoning), the design makes use of standard-sized, laminated timber beams that can be dismounted and used to reconstruct the entire building somewhere else. Mozo calls the idea "transitivity" — designing structures that can be easily broken down and reconstructed elsewhere.
