Green Design

Green Design

What is green design?  It is an eco-friendly design for a home or office.  Green design uses products that are healthier for people and products that are recycled, reusable or easy to reproduce.

A plan to remodel an existing home/office or building a new home/office with eco-friendly products is as easy as specifying bamboo flooring instead of traditional hardwood floors (bamboo has the same wear characteristics as hardwood floors) or using only wood products approved by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).  The FSC (www.FSCUS.org) investigates to ensure that wood products come from areas where harvesting the trees did not endanger the surrounding environment, the quality of water or disrupt biodiversity.

Many traditional elements used in a home or office contain chemicals that are known to emit gases not healthy to human habitation.  These gases can cause some people to suffer a range of health problems including eye irritation, headaches and a variety of other allergies.  Molds have been known to grow behind some vinyl wallpapers.  Formaldehyde, found in many resins and VOCs (volatile organic compounds), are especially harmful to people.  Many paint manufacturers now produce paints with little or no VOCs.  However, deep saturated paint colors may not be available with a low-VOC.  An interior designer should be able to overcome this limitation by mixing low-VOC paints with other deep saturated paint colors to produce a pleasing color.

Flooring is another item that should be of concern to healthy living.  Carpet attracts dust mites, can be a source for mold and often hides many bacteria.  Area rugs can be used over alternative flooring made of stained concrete, ceramic tile, stone or wood.  But for rooms that beg for wall-to-wall carpeting, use should be made of a carpet that is made of recycled plastic bottles.  Carpets made from recycled material are more resistant to stain, feels more luxurious and has a thicker pile.

Other Eco-friendly options for flooring include cork, recycled rubber, and as mentioned, bamboo.  Cork is made from bark of an evergreen oak tree.  The tree is never cut down and the bark, once harvested, regenerates itself.  This process takes 8 to 10 years, one-tenth the time needed to grow an average hardwood tree used for a traditional wood floor.

Bamboo is literally a grass but it is as durable as most hardwood floors.  Bamboo is harvested every 3 to 6 years and can be grown in areas with poor quality soil.  Harvesting bamboo has little impact on the surrounding environment.

A floor made of recycled rubber (tires) is used mostly in commercial applications or in a home work-out room.  A rubber floor has an attractive appearance and exhibits a slight bounce.  It is not slippery when wet, is very resilient and easy to maintain.  When reviewing options for products and a finished look in a new home or office or even when remodeling, consider recycled or reused materials.

There are many creative ways to reuse wood products.  The wood (form boards) used when the foundation is poured can be refinished and should be considered for a patio deck or for beams on the ceiling of a rustic styled family room.  A tree that has fallen and cannot be traditionally milled can be finished to retain the rugged edge of the tree, and used as an accent piece on a kitchen counter, desk area or bar counter.  Ornate wood doors from abandoned buildings are candidates for fabrication into tables (dining table, desktop).

Glass and other products are also recyclable.  New types of counter tops are being developed that contain recycled glass, leftover granite pieces, plastics and scrap metals (i.e. copper and silver).  They are pre-cast into a polished, solid surface, are very durable and have a great, new look.

Bell shaped glass insulator covers once used on utility poles can be refabricated into a pendent light fixture.  Stone that was unearthed when digging a foundation is ideal for use as edging for a garden or consider this stone for an exterior or interior wall.  It may also be used on a fireplace or as part of a mantel.

Designing for a green home or office would not be complete without thought going into protecting our natural resources.  Using solar energy is an obvious choice.  An electric fireplace saves our forests, geothermal HVAC systems are energy efficient and using products that are locally produced or harvested saves oil and saves transportation costs.

Green design is the future.  There are new products and new ideas being developed every day to save our resources and reduce costs for materials when building or remodeling a home or office.