Experts Offer Ideas for Creating 'Green' Designs

Experts Offer Ideas for Creating 'Green' Designs

By John Filippelli

This is the question posed by Annette K. Stelmack, ASID, design director of Associates III, a Denver, CO-based design firm that teamed with the Washington, D.C.-based American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) to create Turning Green: A Guide to Becoming a Green Design Firm.

As Stelmack suggests, creating "green designs," or using sustainable products, is a worthwhile endeavor that will allow designers to not only adhere to the "home as haven," concept, but make that home last for the life of the client.

"By designing or adapting the places we live and work in an ecologically sensitive manner, we can all contribute to the continued well-being of our planet and its limited natural resources. And, by doing so, we can also benefit from lower fuel bills, healthier environments, less waste and beautiful spaces," she offers.

Adds Ann Knight, v.p./marketing for Bainbridge Island, WA-based Teragren, LLC, a bamboo flooring and accessory building products manufacturer: "The main advantages of green building are not only to benefit our planet's continued existence, but also to increase the public's awareness that building environmentally is critical to sustaining our natural resources, air quality and energy."

The way to achieve this, Stelmack notes, is to educate yourself as well as your employees, clients and other design professionals.
As described in the manual: "When a new project is imminent, attempt to be involved as early as possible so that you can broach the subject of sustainability at the onset, hopefully in the schematic design phase. Address the subject with the client, the architect and the contractor and try to get full team buy-in, and then work with however much buy-in you get."

To successfully work toward the goal of "green design," Stelmack suggests selecting sites that have minimal impact on the surrounding area; using systems that are energy efficient or that come from renewable resources; specifying energy-efficient appliances and water-efficient plumbing fixtures and providing for on-site recycling both during construction and throughout the life of the building.

In addition, both cite the LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) rating system, a credit-based system created by the U.S Green Building Council, as having propelled the adoption of green building practices, technologies, policies and standards for commercial, institutional and high-rise residential buildings.

Says Stelmack: "The LEED process is most effective when used as an early organizing principle for a project, [because] determining which sustainable design elements work best for a particular project is a complex process."

David Knight, president/CEO of Teragren, LLC, adds: "We're seeing a significant shift in attitudes about environmentally friendly products and socially responsible companies."

He concludes: "At a glance, small businesses don't appear to impact the environment like billion dollar corporations, but when you look at the big picture, the opposite is true."

Green thumb design
According to Stelmack, there are many ways to promote green design, whether on the jobsite or
in the office.

For instance, marking bins for different types of usable wood scraps, such as kindling, sawdust for compost and materials for art projects as well as educating the work crew about recycling procedures are all potential solutions, she believes.

She also suggests minimizing packaging waste by asking suppliers to avoid excessive packaging or leaving packaging at the point of purchase.

Taking inventory of office products and processes can help determine where changes can be made as well, especially with cleaning supplies, recyclable fax and copier paper, she adds. Even converting to Energy Star appliances and using certain types of light bulbs can make a difference.