L.L. Bean goes L.L. Green

For over 90 years, Outdoor Lifestyle retailer L.L. Bean has offered apparel and accessories marketed toward those with an appreciation for nature. In an effort to maintain their relationship with their eco-savvy clientele, they have opted to transform their retail spaces into educational environments by sharing their initiatives in creating a sustainable atmosphere in addition to their green business structure. The first store to undergo this transformation was their Mansfield, Massachusetts location with a design by Bergmyer Associates of Boston. This 30,000 square-foot space is part of USGBC’s LEED for Retail-CI pilot program, which today is still going through many revisions because of the unique needs of retail spaces. A rising concern with renovations, regardless of whether or not sustainable materials are being utilized, is the amount of waste produced by demolition of old interiors. L.L. Bean saw to it that as much of their renovation bi-products were recycled as possible. The end result: only about 25% of their debris ended up in landfills. Their commitment to preserve the outdoors inspired them to take advantage of using reclaimed wood for fixtures and wall panels to maintain a natural feel throughout the store.

From the ceiling to the floor, this space contains technologically advanced and sustainable elements. Light sensitive fixtures work with motion and daylight so that the energy is only utilized when an area is occupied. Additionally, flooring is made of recycled content and rubber. Low VOC adhesives were used throughout the space. Though L.L. Bean has 6 registered LEED retail stores, this is their first to earn a Silver award. 

100% Sustainable House at West Coast Green

It is functional. It is technologically advanced. It is beautiful. It is affordable. And it is absolutely green!

It is the Harbinger House, Designed by Lawrence Group. A single-family house entirely built inside the trade show of  the West Coast Green Conference, that took place in San Jose, California, last week. “Our goal was to try to produce a product that is economically feasible, and if you’ve got extra money to spend, you can make it a lot nicer,” said architect Eric Heischmidt of the Lawrence Group of St. Louis, Mo. The house is, in fact, sustainable from the structure itself, and everything used to furnish it. It is crafted from five shipping containers by SG Blocks (quite hard to belive just by looking!) for a total area of 1700 sf; containers are a prefabricated, modular recycled product that is growing in popularity as a building material. Windows provide excellent insulation and require less energy to manufacture than traditional windows. The woods used for the interiors are FSC Certified. Wall paints are low-VOC. Lights use low voltage bulbs, and have smart lighting controls. Sheets are made from organic cotton, and household electrical appliances are energy efficient. With GreenPoint and LEED certification in the plans, the Harbinger House is an excellent example of sustainable architecture to follow!

(images courtesy of www.inhabitat.com)

Pirwi - Sustainable Furniture With Style!

Pirwi is a Mexico City-based furniture company that operates under sustainable practices. Designer Emiliano Godoy, who has been working in sustainable design for several years, is in charge of the creative direction of the company. Pirwi’s catalog showcases stylish and contemporary pieces that are not only green, but that also offer an interesting aesthetic proposal.
Besides the creation of environmentally compatible products, Pirwi utilizes socially fare labor practices setting itself at the forefront of the sustainable furniture industry.

Syndecrete, a Sustainable Concrete for Interior Design

Syndecrete a company that we discovered last september at the west coast green conference in San Francisco produce a special concrete and a set of products, tiles, sinks slabs and tabletops and custom designs based on their concrete.

The syndecrete is a solid surfacing material replace standard concrete for interior design, on top of it it’s has better mecanical property and is certified by The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

I encourage you to visit their website, which is sleek and explain nicely the advantage of the product and the sustanaible issue associated with concrete in interior design.

 Syndecrete website