The Professional Interior

Design Course
Tutorial Nine

INTERIOR
DESIGN
Copyright 2002. J Morris. Revised 2021. Licensed in Britain to International News Syndicate.
 INDEX

Page

Introduction to Commercial Design 3

Office Design – Making Work a Pleasure 5
An Introduction to Ecologically Sustainable Design and Sustainable 10
Design Practice
Considerations for ‘ESD’ 13
Guidelines for the Responsible Interior Designer 16
Cradle to Cradle – Global ESD Issues 18
Glossary of ESD Products 24
Assignment Six 30
Assignment Examples & Submission Details 32

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If you see any broken or misdirected links in your tutorial, please contact us at
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Introduction to Commercial Interior Design

In this tutorial we invite you to step into the world of commercial interior design and introduce you to
the design concepts behind award-winning 21st-century corporate workplace design. Contemporary
commercial interior design now takes into account the psychology of boardroom layouts, optimum
function workstations, lighting, ergonomics, health and safety and the impact of environmentally
sustainable building and construction.

As a designer, you must understand the concepts of interior styling holistically, even if you know within
yourself that your interest might not lie with designing corporate spaces, yet! Understanding the concepts
behind commercial design, the challenges, the frustrations, the pitfalls and the wonderful rewards are
important steps in acquiring the knowledge, skill and experience to tackle any design project that comes
your way.

So let’s get started.

First of all, understand that progressive and successful companies value their employees and their customers.
Creating an optimum environment in which to encourage and support staff to do their best work, welcome
their clients, strategic and prospective partners, and ‘brand’ their products and services will be number one
on their list of priorities.

Protecting the physical, mental and spiritual health of staff goes hand-in-hand with healthy profits, peek
performance and a growing customer base and wealth.

Doing business in a sustainable work environment can result in long-term savings with lower energy and
water bills. It can reduce ill-health among staff resulting in fewer sick days, and will increase performance
and profitability while providing an excellent opportunity for the company to position itself at the cutting
edge of environmental awareness and 21st-century business practices.

In the past decade, it is no longer enough for a workplace to simply exist. Designing the right workplace will
help retain skilled staff, attract clients and send out the right messages to the world at large.

Lobby groups such as the recently formed (2007) UK Green Building Council (UK GBC) www.ukgbc.
org exist to work with the UK Government and stakeholder organisations around the world to address the
need for education and action within the green building movement. The UK GBC aims to bring together
architects, engineers, investors, product manufacturers, cost consultants, energy suppliers, surveyors,
developers, contractors, occupiers and designers, and all those involved in the complex process of planning,
designing, constructing, maintaining and operating buildings. The new movement of green building and
designing is gathering pace and aims to eliminate environmental complacency. After all, global warming and
achieving a work/balance are buzz words that are on everyone’s lips.

There are a myriad of useful websites that will empower and educate the commercial design student further.
Have a look at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) website – www.architecture.com
www.worldofinteriors.co.uk and www.interiordesign.net – to get some inspiration.

The social networking generation has redefined the concept of work. No longer bound to our desks, work is
performed from a Blackberry device on the run. Hot desking – a term that means occupying a desk within an
office suite for a few hours a week, is still a common if dying practice in the UK. The space constraints and
varying technological needs of hot deskers have meant that hot-desking has now been superseded by virtual
offices and the strengthening of the VA’s position (VA is a virtual assistant, as opposed to a PA or personal
assistant), a person who works remotely for another.

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Successful companies can afford to have physical offices and restyle their space to suit their employees.
London urban commercial designers and architects, Moxon, is one such group that is sought after by
wealthier clients keen to rethink their workspaces.

In 2008, Moxon won the Silver Prize in the Large Contracts category (specifically for projects over one
million UK pounds) in the Association of Interior Specialists Awards (ASI) for the recently completed
London offices of a leading city law firm on the 24th floor of 30 St Mary Axe (the Gherkin).

The Gherkin is also known as the Swiss Rebuilding. It is situated in the heart of the City of London and was
completed at the end of 2003 and opened in April 2004.

Moxon partners Tim Murray and Ben Addy specialise in high-end tailored workplace design. Many of
Moxon’s clients are legal firms or private equity firms looking for luxury office conversions. Moxon offers
bespoke workspace fit-outs as well as furniture design and project management.

Architect and Moxon partner, Tim Murray, spoke to the British College of
Interior Design recently about Moxon’s approach to commercial interior
design, and the qualities he and his company brought to the 30 St Mary Axe
project.

In the Gherkin (30 St Mary’s Axe) project Moxon used glazing, partially
glazed materials and clear storage to create a seemingly open space. Moxon
wanted to eliminate the glare from this enormous glass frame building. They
said their main focus was to interlink the twisted atria with a stainless steel
staircase. There was no floor plate, so they worked with cantilevered floor
slabs. The client also asked for an arbitration room to mock up courtrooms,
again calling for enclosed spaces.

‘We were the principal designers for the 30 St Mary Axe project, although Moxon’s stainless steel staircase
we worked with a number of other specialists to bring it off. We led the in the Gherkin building
team which consisted of quantity surveyors and construction, design and utilises industrial materials
management teams, mechanical, electrical and structural engineers, and to complement the buildings
intricate architecture
audiovisual companies.

‘Our commercial interiors are always bespoke – tailored to our client’s requirements. We don’t do ‘out of
the box’. Our business model is about working as creatively as possible within the parameters of our client’s
brief. The 30 St Mary Axe project involved turning meeting spaces into flexible working areas that could be
adapted to the different needs of the company; – in our client’s case – a high profile solicitors’ practice. Our
client wanted their spaces to be adaptable for various industry-specific scenarios.

‘The project was completed in phases with each phase taking around
fourteen weeks from start to finish.

‘Although we did encounter problems with the mechanical and

electrical services during the building of the project, we worked
through them. The key, we believe, is to always look at the detail and
listen to the client.

‘In terms of environmentally sustainable materials, we used minimal

low voltage light fittings; PIR controlled lighting systems that sense Each room in the Moxon project
movement within the space and light accordingly; and recycled was custom made to the client’s
rubber flooring. We designed partitioning systems that can be needs. They required adaptable
relocated to change the shape, size and usage of a room’s function, meeting spaces and integrated
and designed bespoke furniture solutions for the client.’ working areas.
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Of course, the commercial design is not just about offices but can
be retail spaces, schools, hospitals, cafes, restaurants, resorts and
hotels etc. The best examples published in magazines are often by top
designers in their field and are therefore worth looking at for ideas
and inspiration.

Look around in your local neighbourhood and study the design of

local cafes, restaurants and retail premises – which ones work and
which ones don’t? Talk to the owners of the premises if possible and
ask them if they are happy with the design of their premises. If so,
Choosing and designing the right
has the thought put into the interior design benefited their business?
furniture allowed for adaptability in
If not, what are they unhappy with, and why? This is not a formal
each room, i.e. partitions, moveable
assignment but would be a valuable exercise. You may provide furniture and neutral colour schemes.
someone with valuable advice and find they become your client!

With thanks to Tim Murray from Moxon Architects, London.

www.moxonarchitects.com

Office Design - Making Work A Pleasure - A London Case Study

Designing a 21st-century workplace – whether a large corporate office or for a five-person operation –
will pit any interior architect or commercial interior designer against a complex series of engineering
and infrastructural challenges, building regulations, and ergonomic and environmental considerations,
to name a few.

Here are some of the most important issues to get

to grips with when you’re faced with designing a design in action
workplace.

Commercial interior design is an extremely complex

process, as any member of the British Interior Design
Association (BIDA) will tell you. The design of office
space presents numerous challenges and just as many
rewards, according to BIDA.

Experienced British designers all agree that you are not

simply handed a brief and expected to return in seven
days with a design.

The success of your project will be determined

by numerous factors and will necessitate a highly
coordinated approach between architects, engineers,
you – as an interior designer, builders, suppliers, and of
course your client and their heads of department. The reception area of these Pepsi
offices, with lively photographic images
Take the example of one designer’s client-based in beyond, immediately gives a message
Surrey, with offices in Richmond-upon-Thames – to the visitor that this is a vibrant,
who wanted to move their operations to a warehouse youthful, informal company.
building in the prestigious Docklands area of London, Photo by Simon Kenny
overlooking the Thames.

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The company had owned the warehouse building for decades. It had been rented out to a variety of different
residential and commercial tenants over the years, but the company had decided to reposition themselves in
their respective marketplace by refurbishing the building and moving in.

The company’s interior designer said: ‘The client loved the building’s ringside view of the Thames from its
frontage, and wanted to make the most of it. Unfortunately, when they bought the space over 20 years ago,
they hadn’t anticipated moving their offices into it. We worked over a period of many weeks with structural
engineers, architects and planners at the borough council to design detailed plans and we knew there would
be a lot of structural work to do to get the space up to speed as a fully functioning commercial space for the
company’s operations. The distance from the lift core to the building’s perimeter also concerned me to name
just one problem. It wasn’t ideal.’

While the client’s decision to go with the view was

respected, the designer had to make the consequences
clear. The spectacular view would have impressed
design in action
customers entering the office. However, the staff
would find it difficult manoeuvring in and out of their
offices and workstations.

There were a number of important criteria when

refurbishing older office buildings such as this, a
200-year-old Thameside warehouse.

• The Floor Plate must be appropriate for the business.

Are the areas between the lift cores at the centre of
the building and the perimeter generous? Where are
the columns positioned? With several structural
columns 1.2 by 1.5 metres in diameter, their size and
location can reduce the number of workstations in
the space. A cluster of four workstations can be
reduced to three if there’s a large column in the
space.
Graphics are a strong feature of many
• The General Aesthetic and Age of the Building workplaces today, reinforcing the
– Considerable money is often required to update company’s corporate branding in its
both hidden and exposed services in a building. The
own environment. In the boardroom
extraction of exhaust air is crucial. Should this be
of the Pepsi offices, designed by Reid
sub-standard, money allocated to the refurbishment
will be redirected to upgrading basic services. Do Campbell Group, an image of a Pepsi
the skirting boards include ducts for power and data? bottle is set in an alcove and highlighted
by lighting. The translucent glass
• Details – High sills might be ideal places to put boardroom table is a departure from the
personal things (photos, lunch box, etc.), but their more usual use of timber.
inclusion in a building will reduce the amount of Photo by Simon Kenny
light and the aspect. Adding floor to ceiling glass
windows/walls can be a prohibitive cost.

• Orientation – A broad spectrum of light is ideal and can be manipulated to suit the client’s requirements.
If the orientation in the space is directed towards the north and west, the amount of glare will be significant.
Continual glare on computer screens can cast a shadow over the most spectacular harbour view.

• Base building services are also important in choosing one office building over another. Even the speed
of a lift can affect the customer’s first impression. Is the ride smooth and uneventful or shaky, slow and
memorable?
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• Clear and appropriate signage in a building is also an important issue that needs to be drawn into plans at
the earliest stage.

• A full, transparent and clear brief on the space’s shortcomings.

The Client’s Brief

The client will generally have an idea of how many

offices/workstations are required for their staff. design comment

“
But while bums on seats are relatively easy for the
designer to determine, the hierarchy of spaces within By taking the time to workshop
an organisation is far more complex.
with the client, in accordance
The Office Manager, Human Resource Personnel with design and criteria, the final
or the Financial Controller may be able to provide product is made to specification on

”
information about the more subtle requirements.
demanding deadlines.
People who understand the business will give a
breakdown of what is required and by whom. But Collin Ellul
you need to ask the right questions and understand Gos Australia (Gosa)
the role of each person in the organisation.

While the Office Manager may have detailed knowledge, he or she may have limited time to pass on all the
information relevant for the designer. They often have rigorous schedules to complete and may find the added
task of organising spaces too much to handle. It’s often easier when the client appoints a project manager to
represent them.

Determining details of the brief can be achieved through surveys/questionnaires but don’t get bogged down
with surveys as they can prompt numerous responses. Get exact requirements from company managers and
directors.

From initial discussions, a ‘mud-map’ (bubble drawings) should be devised. Always plan to do a few sketches
as a starting point, how the departments relate to each other and where people should be placed. Make sure
you understand the ethos and psychology of the company; whether and when they intend to grow in size. You
don’t want to design a space for 20 people if plans are on the cards for the company to expand in five years.

Design Issues

While there has been a move to open-plan offices in recent times, the best in office design is still a long way
from the one large open space. Screens, attached to workstations, vary in height according to the degree of
privacy required. And workstations, in varying sized groups, occupy different sized footprints.

Designers agree there is an implied hierarchy of spaces. It’s not just the size of the footprint to consider.
A corner space will imply a certain place in the hierarchy. There might be an adjacent meeting room that
doubles as a second office for the person occupying the closest workstation.

Even the simple workstation has changed in format. They’re likely to be more free-standing, with panels
attached to the back of the desk rather than meeting the floor. It’s a lighter feel aesthetically. It’s also more
flexible. Staff will need to interact rather than feel isolated, and while separate workstations are included in
most office spaces, there are also breakout spaces to allow for informal meetings. It might just take the form
of a few chairs.

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Task chairs need to be ergonomically correct, adjustable in height
with flexible backs and lumbar supports. As a designer, you will
need to familiarise yourself with health and safety legislation for
workplaces as set out by the government – go to www.hse.gov.uk

Disability Issues – office space must include facilities for the

disabled, whether this be someone who is visually impaired or
with a physical handicap. You need to design a space for ‘what if
someone has…’ It’s not just about looking at current staff. It’s also
about planning for people who have a disability and might work in
the space in the future. A raised reception area, for example, might
have a lower level waiting chair. There should also be lavatories for
people to use on the ground level.
Open plan office spaces have led the
way for more interaction between
Signage should also be capable of identification by people who are colleagues in terms of problem-
visually impaired. Signs for example, should also be provided in brail solving and teamwork.
form. You need to look at these issues from the start of the design
process and present them to the client.

Documentation and Tendering

Once the sketch plans are approved by the client, the real work starts. Unlike the design and development
phase, the documentation of designs can be extremely time-consuming. Each drawing of various aspects of
the design is attached to schedules (tables).

A door schedule, for example, will include all the

hardware attached to a door, the lock, the hinges etc.
design in action
While the finishing schedules will include the type
of paint used on a door or the material used for the
reception desk. All the plans and schedules are then
sent to a Project Manager, an independent source,
working on behalf of the client. You will usually
need to send the plans to between three-to-five
separate builders or fit-out contractors for tendering.

Don’t select the cheapest quote. Be wary of builders

who price as a ‘rough guess’. Be ruthless and strict
in getting every piece of information you need –
detailed pricing, time schedules, availability for the
job, and references.

Once the builder has been selected, a contract is

entered into between the builder or office fit-out
contractor and the client. There’s usually room for
An informal grouping of tables and
some negotiation at that point. The design might
have to be slightly modified (by the use of a cheaper chairs can be used by staff for coffee
material, for example). breaks and informal meetings.
Photo by Simon Kenny

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If the tenders are significantly over budget, there have to be some serious measures taken, about what stays
and what goes. But variations can prove to be difficult, especially for the designer. If the client might decide
on additional workstations at the last moment, you will have to make an allowance. You also need to inform
the client there will be additional costs along with the changes, and there might be delays in the project
(resubmitting plans to council and the time taken to redesign plans and amend schedules).

Even a simple problem such as fabric for the new office chairs can hold up a project. Factor in what
would happen if – once the project has commenced – the supplier rings you to say the fabric is delayed.
You will need to be proactive and find an alternative fabric that will please the client. You can’t afford
to have the project held up for weeks.

Our case study company’s move to their plush new warehouse

offices in Docklands was a success, but not without its hitches. The
designer, working with architects on this project, designed a number
of meeting rooms to alleviate pressure on using the main boardroom.
They also added a series of mobile tables in the workstation areas to
allow for teams to meet informally.

A large breakout area was also inserted into the space. Screened
by aluminium and glass screens, the breakout area included a café,
benches and comfortable armchairs. While the staff no longer
occupied the ground floor, the architects built a new external staircase
Planning and scheduling for your
leading to the courtyard below with a landscaped and decked area
interiors is necessary to meet
where clients can take in the full vista of the Thames with its sweep budgets and time constraints.
up to central London. Design schedules are necessary
for stages such as space planning,
To retain the same lofty warehouse feel, old plaster from its previous schematic design, design
life in the 1980s when it housed a publishing house was removed, development, construction, finish
and the original warehouse pipework was exposed. In contrast to the selections and furniture selections.
industrial ceiling, the architects installed a highly polished reflective
floor of porcelain tiles. The reflection of the ceiling from the floor
increased the sense of height. The meeting rooms were also handled thoughtfully. The company didn’t need
sound-proof meeting rooms, so a circular ribbed ‘cage’ was designed. The ‘ribs’ were closer in the middle and
fanned out on the edges, giving a feel of privacy.

Breakout areas were given a feeling of informality with re-upholstered armchairs from the 1950s to create
a retro look. The company’s chrome chairs from their previous boardroom were used. To create a sense of
light, the architects used vibrant coloured wall tiles in both matte and gloss finishes, which reflected light and
created additional height in the building.

While designs for an office vary considerably, there are certain general rules that experienced commercial
interior designers suggest:

• The design must be durable and timeless. The design

shouldn’t last forever, but it shouldn’t appear dated in a few design comment

“
years. Clients don’t want to regularly update their office. But
they might be prepared to change over some of the furniture. Design is a solution-based
profession, but we have to make sure

”
• Budgets are always limited. Try and use expensive we’re solving the right problems.
material to the maximum effect. A bluestone-covered John Mack
reception desk can add a sense of prominence to a simple HWL International
design.

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• Office design comes down to privacy, escape (not feeling locked into a space) and personalisation. People
need to be able to make phone calls in privacy, and they also need to be able to walk away from their desk
and find themselves in a different office environment. It can be as simple as providing a variety of chairs
to sit in, a task chair for the office and a bean bag for the lounge area. Even providing a pinboard for each
workstation can be appreciated. People should be encouraged to bring in photos and objects and create their
own workplace. It’s about them, not just creating a design space.

An Introduction to Ecological Sustainable Design and Sustainable Design Practice

Green design has a long history, and before the Industrial Revolution, it was the norm for many
cultures. However, the soaring consumerism of the 21st century has resulted in an unsustainable way of
life. The UK alone produces 220 million tons of waste per year, but only a fraction of this is recycled –
the rest ends up as landfill. Global warming, a loss of biodiversity and the depletion of natural resources
have been some of the devastating effects of our lifestyles. All of this makes ecologically sustainable
design now more vital than ever.

Throughout our lives, it is realistic to expect that we are going to continue to consume and that this will
impact on the environment. The challenge is to limit our impact, posing both a demand and an opportunity for
designers to play an integral role in promoting ecologically sustainable design.

This calls for designers to meet consumers’ needs in different ways. An eco-conscious designer will design
to satisfy real needs rather than be a slave to transient fashions. They will design to minimise resource
consumption, will harness solar energy where possible and avoid toxic or hazardous substances. They will
consider if the products they use are biodegradable, fairtrade, locally sourced, low energy, were produced with
low waste, contain no toxins, are recyclable and are made from well-managed resources.

A growing number of products have emerged to respond to the demand for ‘eco-friendly’ design. As a
designer, your options are endless, and knowledge of sustainable design will ensure you can cater for
environmentally conscious clients.

On the simplest level, sustainability is literally the ability

to sustain something. The International Interior Designers
design comment

“
Association (IIDA) defines sustainability as A state or process No building can be too green.
that can be maintained indefinitely. Even in established buildings,
landlords are being asked to deliver

”
Beyond this, the IIDA states that the principles of
on energy-rating requirements.
sustainability integrate the elements of environmental,
economic and social conditions into a system that can be Greg Bryant
Clipsal Integrated Systems
maintained in a healthy state indefinitely.

Yet even with these definitions, there is still considerable uncertainty among design professionals as to how
sustainability applies to design practice, as Glock Friedrich of the Technical University of Vienna points out:

‘The notion of sustainability seems widely accepted as a slogan but rather empty as a strategy for the
development of technologies and design of products.’

At the Teaching Green ICFF 2002 Conference in New York, more than 500 designers, teachers and
students were surveyed on their knowledge and opinions regarding sustainability. Among the results of the
respondents:

• 70% said they were not equipped to undertake a green design job.
• 93% were interested in sustainable design but felt only half of their clients would be.
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• 60% had no formal education in sustainability but were self-taught on the topic.
• 86% said the sustainable design should be incorporated into regular design education.
• 64% said it would be within the next two to five years that sustainable practice would equate to ‘good design’.

While research such as this reveals the lack

of formal education and standards in ‘green’
design story
design, it also demonstrates that sustainability
is becoming a large component of professional
practice for the design industry.

Sustainability can be thought of as a goal, a

Ecoresin
Ecoresin panels are an environmentally friendly
journey, and a way of thinking and working. reuse dividers to bathroom vanities and shower
Companies that slap ‘sustainable’ on their doors. Composed of at least 40 per cent recycled
products have actually damaged the sustainability content, they are fashioned from waste products
movement by mistakenly leading consumers to taken from the fronts of old vending machines. The
believe that short-term solutions can solve long- non-toxic material meets LEED standards, is lighter
term problems. than glass and responds beautifully to backlighting.

The challenge now for designers working toward Made up of individual layers, the panels come
sustainability is to adopt a holistic approach to in an array of colours and can be embedded with
thinking and to practice. But that is easier said natural materials like flower petals and bamboo
than done. stalks, fabrics or one-of-a-kind digital designs.
Introduced in 1991 by 3form (www.3-Form.com),
Dr Graham Treloar of Deakin University, Ecoresin encourages light flow between spaces and
Melbourne, Australia, revealed a good example creates a feeling of privacy with various levels of
of the current challenges for designers in a recent
translucency.
study. While conducting a lifecycle assessment
(LCA) of a building, Treloar discovered that the
furnishing and fittings of a standard building are
on average replaced every seven years. When
examined over a 40-year period, this constant
replacement represents a massive 560% of the
embodied energy of the building.

These findings reveal an extremely high level of

unsustainable practice in the interior architecture
and product design industries. The outcomes of
this research point to two major improvements
that need to occur:

1. Designing products and interiors with longer

life-spans; and

2. Designing with end-of-life reclaiming,

disassembly and recycling.

A valuable source of practical information has been created by the Society for Responsible Design.

Among SRD’s recommended environmental responsibilities are guidelines such as:

• Using all materials sparingly and to maximum potential

• Using pure-blend textiles from renewable resources
• Using materials that have undergone lifecycle assessments
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• Avoiding non-renewable or non-recyclable materials
• Avoiding fashionable influences in designs to extend
overall life spans

In working toward sustainability, it is important for

designers, manufacturers and specifiers to approach it,
not as an ideal, but as a measurable and creative way of
practising the craft of design.

There are a number of measures for sustainability

currently being applied around the world. As tools,
they each have their merits and limitations but, like
many of the elements of sustainability, they are all Eco-Friendly Cabinetry: This modern kitchen
part of a shared and global undertaking of continuous cabinetry uses non-toxic paints and lacquers
improvement. that are free from heavy metals and low in
emissions. The cabinets are made from recycled
Here is a brief outline of some of the key terms applied and regenerated wood from certified resources.
to sustainability measures: Other materials used include non-toxic laminates,
aluminium, glass and technical veneers.
TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE (TBL)
This is the combined measure of the social, environmental and economic values of a product or organisation.

PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY
A ‘take-back’ agreement made by a producer to reclaim their product or product components at the end-of-life
stage for reuse, recycling and safe disposal of materials.

LIFECYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA)

Assessing the environmental impacts of each stage in the life of a product – from design to disposal.

PRODUCT-SERVICE SYSTEMS (PSS)

A shift away from designing a product for purchasing and eventual disposal by consumers, to designing a
product as a utility to service the consumer and eventually return to the producer.

ECOREDESIGN™ AND DESIGN FOR ENVIRONMENT (DFE)

Assessing environmental impacts of a product and designing-out the damaging elements by using recycled,
non-toxic and low energy materials that can be disassembled and recycled again at end-of-life stage.

ISO 14 000 FAMILY

A set of standards from the International Standards Organisation
specifically designed using Environmental Management
Systems (EMS) that assess a company’s commitment to high
design comment

“
levels of environmental responsibility. No longer can a building
owner or developer ignore the
As more sustainable research and assessment groups share their
findings and techniques, it is designers who are uniquely placed
issues of sustainability entirely.
to apply creative thinking to improved environmental practice. In fact, I believe the smart ones
are embracing it wholeheartedly
Perhaps it will be through the application of thinking such for its positive long-term impact

”
as Marcel Breuer’s ‘making less last longer’, but possibly on the bottom line.
even more beneficial will be the work of those designers who Don Marshall
are willing to take radical risks in attempting to solve the ThomsonAdsett
environmental problems that now face the entire world.

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References

FRIEDRICH, Glock; Sustainability and the Design Process; Institute of Technology and Society; Technical
University of Vienna; www.ip.pbh.gov.br/ANO6_N1_PDF/ip0601silva.pdf

BEY, Niki & LENAU, Torben; Designers’ Requirements for Evaluation of Sustainability; Department of
Manufacturing Engineering; Technical University of Denmark; http://polynet.dk/lenau/ipspap98.pdf

HOFFMAN, Steve; Sustainable Products for Green Design; Spring 2002 EnvironDesign Journal;
ISdesigNET.

Considerations for ‘ESD’

So what do you need to consider? The considerations below might be obvious to some, but may be new
concepts to others. Being aware is the first place to start to familiarise yourself with the following terms.

Biodegradable: means a substance can decompose by natural biological processes. This means living
organisms such as bacteria can break down the substance in the natural environment. Naturally occurring
substances such as wood are biodegradable whereas man-made plastic is not.

Well-managed resources: includes bamboo, Forest Stewardship Council approved timber and 100 percent
pure wool. Well-managed resources should not only be renewable but should have been harvested and treated
in an environmentally friendly manner as well.

No Toxins: Choose products that are free from harmful and poisonous chemicals and are made from
organically grown materials. Common toxins include PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), pesticides,
Phthalates, VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), Asbestos, heavy metals, Chloroform and chlorine.
Excessive exposure to toxins has been linked to a wide variety of long and short term illnesses.

Low Energy: Switching to low energy or LED light bulbs is one of the
easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprint. By swapping a normal bulb
to an energy-saving bulb, you could cut energy wastage by three quarters
and save £9 on your electricity bill. If every home in the UK changed
just three light bulbs, enough energy would be saved to light the UK’s
street lamps. Low energy light bulbs use less than 20% of the energy of a
conventional light bulb and can last up to 15 times longer. LED light bulbs Low energy LED light
consume even less energy and can last up to 60, 000 hours.

Fairtrade: Products that have been produced by workers in decent conditions for fair pay. You can look
out for products that bear the FAIRTRADE Mark by the Fairtrade Foundation, an independent non-profit
organisation that labels products as fairtrade in accordance with internationally agreed fairtrade standards.
According to the Fairtrade Foundation, ‘By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never
fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally
discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more
control over their lives’.

Low Waste: Consider items where little waste results from their production or items where the manufacturer
has reused or recycled the off-cuts.

Recyclable: Look for recyclable products so that at the end of their life they can be treated and transformed
into raw materials, which new products can be manufactured from. Glass, paper, plastic, metal, textiles and
electronics are recyclable.
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Recycled: This refers to products that you reuse, perhaps in a new way. You can consider what items a client
has that you could perhaps use some or part of to create something new rather than completely replacing what
they have.

The interior designer must be engaged in creative and critical thinking to ensure that the design solutions rise
from a platform of environmental responsibility. Listed are a few broad precepts that can guide the designer.

Paints

Domestic paint can contain a number of hazardous chemicals. Paint releases a lethal amount of fumes when
first applied and as it dries, and will continue to do so for months afterwards.

Making the switch to natural paints and products is relatively easy. However, be wary of the ‘Low odour’
paints that still contain a cocktail of nasty chemicals, such as formaldehyde and acrolein.

Look out for natural paint that is scented with essential oils, making them a real pleasure to work with. You
can even offer your client the option of choosing their favourite scent. The lack of noxious fumes and a fresh
scent makes natural paint an ideal choice.

Lighting

The placement of lighting is the key to conserving

design in action
light. To make sure the right light levels for visual
performance and functional tasks are met, you need to
work out the following;

Higher light levels are needed for difficult and

sustained visual tasks. Evenly flooding a space with
general overhead illumination will provide a work
environment free of distracting shadows, but this type
of lighting is considered environmentally wasteful.
And a shadowless, evenly lit environment is often
perceived as being bland or dull.

To create a bright atmosphere, the trick is to play

with the lighting (a little can go a long way), with
the addition of sparkle (i.e., small amounts of bright The reception and meeting room area of
lights) to an environment uniformly lit with indirect this commercial premises is glamorous.
luminaries change the perspective to being brighter, Conceiving the space as an ‘attic’, the
allowing the general light level to be reduced.
designers conceived the glass meeting
Another trick is using surfaces for light contrast to rooms as a series of tumbling boxes.
create more visually stimulating environments. Intricate cabling for all the latest
technology is concealed in the steel
Dark surfaces absorb light and reflect less light back supports.
into the space. To create the necessary ambience, think Photo by Simon Kenny
about the use of light valued surfaces for ceilings,
walls and floors.

Switching to low energy or LED light bulbs is one of the easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprint.
There is a range of light fittings designed specifically for energy-saving bulbs.
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Timber

In many markets, the illegal logging of many species of timber

has destroyed important forest habitats. Some timber species are
vulnerable to extinction as a result, yet it is still possible to find
furniture made with these timbers in developed countries.

Schemes do exist that ensure the timber is grown and harvested

in a responsible manner. The most recognised of these is that
administered by the Forest Stewardship Council. Also, The Good
Wood Guide from Greenpeace provides information on the status of
particular species and suggests alternatives for those timbers that are
endangered in some way.

Water and Appliances

There are opportunities in all buildings to provide fittings,

components and other measures that help reduce water consumption.

New installations should incorporate either self-closing or spray-

head taps, to stop the waste of running taps. These can be retrofitted
to existing installations. Spray taps are particularly suited to
wash hand basins and can save up to 50% of water compared to
conventional taps. When a powerful flow is required, self-closing
taps that close automatically after a preset period, usually set
between 1 and 30 seconds, should be considered.

Low water-volume lever taps reduce

Showers and Water Pressure
the amount of water used, making
them economically sustainable.
Taking a shower beats taking a bath as less water is used. Whilst
installing a flow restrictor is an option, the effect is likely to be at the
expense of the shower’s performance.

Appliances

If you are fitting in new appliances such as washing machines and

dishwashers you should be looking at ‘A’ or ‘AA’ rated units. This
means that the appliance should be a low consumer of water.

Double Glazing

Can reduce heat loss through windows by up to 50%.

Appliances account for about

20% of a household’s energy
consumption. Energy star-rated
appliances are designed to use up
to 50% less energy and water than
standard models.

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Guidelines For The Responsible Interior Designer

The Society of Responsible Designers is a not-for-profit, volunteer-run organisation which aims to

promote the value of design towards a sustainable future. The SRD offers the following guidelines to
interior designers.

There are many ideas to consider that can reduce your environmental impact and achieve better practice. To
implement all these ideas may not be possible – yet every suggestion adopted will make a difference.

• Old growth timbers, metals and precious stone are finite resources, for which better alternatives exist.

• Select materials from renewable resources or recycled sources. Recycled materials are now more available,
as are renewable materials such as straw-based particleboard.

design story
• Consider the off-gassing properties of some
materials. Formaldehydes in boards/textiles,
benzine and toluene in paints can increase indoor
air pollution.

• Use products and furnishings which have

Nani marquina
Sustainability can mean so many different things
considered their lifecycle impact. Look but essentially it’s about looking at things in a
at products and furnishings which can be different way. The work of Spanish rug designer
disassembled for recycling, keeping them out Nani Marquina is a perfect example of how
of landfill.
designers can use sustainable materials and fair
• Strive for a ‘look’ that isn’t a fashion statement. trade practices without compromising on quality
Appropriate design will ensure that materials and or style. Some of her rugs are made from recycled
products will have long years of use. bicycle inner tubes with a range of more than 180
different designs to choose from in every colour
• Use energy-efficient appliances and fittings to imaginable.
save burning fossil fuels. Compact fluorescent
and halogen lights use minimal energy while As an interior designer, you can encourage and
curtains and draft stoppers retain heat. guide your clients to live sustainably without
compromising on beauty and a pleasing aesthetic
• Use materials which will aid in passive solar
design. Floor tiles and concrete slabs, for
example, in sunny winter rooms absorb and
reradiate heat at night.

• Use natural ventilation. Spaces can be cooled

down in summer and rooms ventilated against
indoor air pollution.

• Make sure the specification addresses all the eco

qualities you want in your design. For example,
specifying timbers certified by the Forest
Stewardship Council clearly shows your intent.

• Design an eco-deconstruction specification when renovating or relocating so that materials are not waste.
Often no-one knows what to do with site materials; such a spec means they are taken off-site responsibly.

• Start a library of eco-products and materials in your office for others to use as well. Clients are often
inspired after handling samples of eco-products. Help educate peers by example.
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• Keep yourself up to date on eco-design issues.

• Select products and materials which create a healthy indoor

environment. Avoid wall to wall carpets by using hard surfaces with
floor rugs, for example, which can be easily cleaned and aired.

• Select water-efficient products to save this precious commodity. Specify

low flow or automatic cut-off taps and fittings, insulated tanks and pipes,
quick boil urns, low-pressure showerheads and dual flush toilets etc.

• Promote the benefits of energy and water conservation to clients. While

upfront costs may be higher, longer-term use actually saves clients big
money.

• Consider increasing the amount of natural light into spaces to reduce

the need for artificial lighting. Correct placement of windows, internal
partitions and colours of walls/surfaces improve lighting.
This interior design allows for
natural lighting and ventilation,
• Specify timbers which come from a long-term renewable source.
flexible workspaces, low-
emitting materials and thermal
• Select ‘pure blend’ textiles, which are most suitable for the job comfort and lighting controls.
they have to perform. One hundred per cent blends make for ease The industrial aesthetic of the
of recycling. Better still, select a material which has already been space, with exposed beams and
recycled. an open floorplan, accepts raw
materials and reduces the need
• Select fabrics which have come from a sustainable source. For for finishing materials.
example, organic ramie/wool dyed with non-toxic dyes made using a
clean manufacturing process which also recycles manufacturing waste,
which is 100 per cent biodegradable, by supplying waste scrap to local
farmers as mulch.

• A
 void the use of chemically treated fabrics. Moth and stain proofing
treatments can impact on both environmental and personal health.

• Consider installation of energy-saving devices such as movement and

light sensors for artificial lighting in offices and homes to reduce energy
use.

• Specify low Volatile Organic Compound emission

paints. Plant or mineral-based products emit less
VOCs, which can contribute to Sick Building
design comment

“
Syndrome.
In these times, design shouldn’t
• Use materials for presentation boards which can be be so insular. We should be taking a
recycled and conserve samples for further reuse. multidisciplinary approach which will

”
push us to be more dynamic.
• Prepare working drawings on A4 and A3 paper or
digital CAD tiles on disks for easy copying. Not Kelly Mayfield
every consultant or contractor needs all the details Rottet Studio
on a large, wasteful A1 sheet.

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Thirty years ago, American architect, builder, mason and surveyor Ken Kern wrote the following
quote in his book, The Owner Built Home. Transpose ‘architect’ for ‘interior designer’, and the message
stands just as true today for either discipline. Well-designed environments are good for our health and
relationships.

‘A knowledgeable writer on building methods has stated that there will be more new homes erected during
this decade than have previously been built throughout all the history of civilisation. Population increase
accounts for the majority of this anticipated new construction, but no small amount of this new construction
will have to be designed and built to replace the structures that have recently or currently risen only to
suffer rapid deterioration and obsolescence. This is not a reference to slum clearance and urban renewal,
for probably the worst domestic architecture and shabby buildings may be found in our suburbs – the
worst architecture, certainly, in terms of its psychological detriment. Clifford Moller, in his timely book,
Architectural Environment and Our Mental Health, speaks of architecture as ‘…an agent or a catalyst which
is able to make possible a reduction of frustrations and tensions and to aid in fostering emotional stability,
improved personal motivation and improved social interaction.’

Obviously, the emphasis on the acquisition of physical shelter alone does not resolve the psychological
stresses on people attempting to live in those shelters. Suburban housing tracts are not planned with any
awareness or psychological sensitivity to the inhabitants of those mass units. There is not more acoustical,
visual and spatial privacy, and there is less genuine communication and social contact in suburban housing
than there is in slum ghettos.

The practical builder-of-physical-shelter approach to human housing must, of necessity, be replaced. Yet, an
architect’s self-conscious arty point of view on the subject of housing for people is not where it’s at either.
We must stop thinking formally. Form, in and of itself, is static and unyielding. Rather, we should think of
what Moller terms as the ‘transactional relationship’ between man and space. We should think spatially in
terms of function, flexibility, and growth. It has long been known that architectural space enclosures can have
a vital influence on the consciousness and emotional well-being of the people who live in those enclosures.
Unfortunately, the achievement of a life-affirming architectural effect is the exception rather than the rule in
today’s suburban tract building. Most people in this solely physically-oriented housing unknowingly live lives
that assure their neuroses.’

Cradle to Cradle – Global ESD Issues

Architect Lindsay Johnston, who has long advocated a wider social, political and cultural role
for architects and designers, places in a historical and global context the book Cradle to Cradle by
American architect and environmental luminary William McDonough, who is demonstrating just
such a paradigm shift. More importantly, McDonough has put to work that wonderful attribute of the
design disciplines – creative and integrative thinking – to vision a proactive, optimistic and positive
future, beyond the boundaries of the physical product of design, to a system of ‘designing’ the processes
within which design and architecture is procured, exists and performs.

Can you imagine Aristarchus (250BC), Copernicus (1543) and Galileo (1633) meeting in the afterlife
sometime after the ‘Inquisition’ had condemned as heresy their theory that the sun was the centre of the solar
system and that the Earth was round and rotated around it – sipping a few glasses of wine, slapping their
knees and laughing – ‘They just didn’t get it, did they?’

As potentially pivotal (if you’ll pardon the expression) is the gradual dawning of a similarly momentous
realisation that human activity on the planet is having a fundamental impact upon its well-being. Just as the
doubters could not recognise the obvious – that the Earth is not flat and the centre of everything, and that
it is subservient to and reliant upon the sun – today the doubters cannot recognise that humankind is not
omnipotent and the centre of everything, and that our species is reliant upon the Earth and nature.
18
Ray Anderson, the former co-chair of Bill Clinton’s Council for Sustainable Development, said to me of the
politicians and the recommendations made to them – ‘They just didn’t get it!’

Prince Charles talks, not about ‘The Enlightenment’ of the late 18th century, but about ‘The Endarkenment’
that led the human race from a relatively benign existence on the planet through a period of a mere 200
years – a millisecond in geological time – to a position where we have fundamentally undermined the Earth’s
natural balance.

Here are four interrelated facets of ruining the planet:

1. Drawing down non-renewable resources at an unsustainable rate resulting in conflicts and wars over
resources;

2. Sending emissions into the air, resulting in climate

change, extreme weather events and the potential loss of
whole nations to rising sea levels;
design story
3. Sending emissions into earth and water resulting in long-
term toxic pollution, the loss of biodiversity and the death
of whole species of plants and animals; and
Eco indulgence
With deep luxurious baths and wall-to-
wall tiles, a decadent bathroom can be
4. Growing populations, increased consumption and yet somewhat of a guilty pleasure, however,
further widespread human exploitation, unemployment, if you help your client make the right
poverty and despair. choices, they can splash away, safe in the
knowledge the water won’t go to waste.
It is easy to be pessimistic, but ‘look on the bright side Amp up the feel-good factor by:
– things couldn’t be worse!’ The optimistic view is that
at least we are talking about it. Recognition is dawning.
Impotent or not, we have ‘Earth Summits’ of hundreds • Using locally sourced salvaged materials
of nations to address water, health, sustainability and the like wood and tiles.
future, rather than ‘Superpower Summits’ I remember, with • Install a solar hot water system
a few nations staring down the barrels of inter-continental • Make sure shower and toilet fittings are
ballistic missiles getting together to address how to avoid
nuclear war. Progress? efficient. (Efficient showerheads have a
flow rate of about nine litres per minute
Through this ‘Endarkenment’, particularly as we arrived at and the latest toilets only use three litres
the end of the 20th century, there were fluttering candles of for a half-flush).
wisdom – Buckminster-Fuller, Bill Mollison, the Ehrlichs,
the Vales, David Suzuki, Paul Hawkens, Amory and Hunter • Install a rainwater tank.
Lovins, Ray Anderson and, in there among them now
is Bill McDonough, an architect and formerly Dean of
Architecture at the University of Virginia.

I first heard McDonough speak in 1993 in Chicago, at a

seminar on, of all things, the geometric universal ’The
Golden Mean’. I wrote then: ‘The most worldly and lucid
presentation was by Bill McDonough – architect, designer
of the Environmental Defence Fund HQ and concept
designer for the Hanover World’s Fair 2000 –
who put a strong conceptual case linking the purity of
geometry and thought of the classical Greek philosophers
with the need to address the environmental disaster
imminent on Earth.
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‘He set the argument in a historical, social and political context with references to Copernicus, Einstein,
Darwin, Thomas Jefferson, David Suzuki and many others and to the issues of waste, overpopulation,
pollution and monoculturalism – is it a case of ‘if brute force isn’t working, we are not using enough of it’?
As an alternative, he suggested that Aristotle had left a door open – ‘beauty is good, and ugliness is evil. The
world dying is ugly, so let’s stop it’.’

Since then, McDonough’s architectural practice has been responsible for a number of innovative,
environmentally responsive and award-winning buildings for major corporations such as Herman Miller, Gap
Inc. and Nike – incorporating low energy, solar heating, fresh air, natural light, wastewater purified in artificial
wetlands and native habitat grass roofs.

His buildings engage with the broader social and environmental

context of their users as a priority higher than the economical,
yet have resulted, for instance in the case of Herman Miller, in a
stunning new environmentally responsible facility that is said to
have yielded a productivity increase of 24 per cent, worth four
times the capital cost of the building every year in increased
revenue. Happy people, happy corporation, happy environment –
the triple-bottom-line – a win-win-win situation. He is currently
working on the transformation of Ford’s huge Rouge River plant –
one of the largest industrial sites on the globe.
McDonough’s design for Herman
McDonough’s sensitivities are underpinned by his childhood Miller’s GreenHouse factory and offices.
experiences in Japan, his travels to the Middle East observing Here, McDonough drew upon the use
the tents of the Bedouin, and confronting the chilling design of interior daylighting and fresh air in
efficiency of the death camps at Auschwitz and Birkenau. both office and manufacturing spaces to
arrive at an environmentally sound and
A chance meeting back in 1991 with chemist Michael Braungart, cost-effective environment.
a founding member of the Green Action Future Party in Germany
and formerly an activist and research chemist with Greenpeace, has resulted in a productive synergy that led
to the formation in 1995 of the consultancy McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry and the co-authorship
of the recently published book.

A ‘lobal convergence’ of the left and right brain attributes of reason and imagination has allowed the
formulation of a new paradigm for the way we can see things – the Earth is round!! McDonough received a
US Presidential Award for Sustainable Development in 1996 and Time magazine named him a ‘Hero of the
Planet’ in 1999 – citing his ‘unified philosophy that in practical and demonstrable ways was changing the
design of the world’.

Having visions is one thing, but how to take these visions to implementation is possibly more important.
Being a doomsayer is easier than presenting an optimistic message – ‘Here is the way’. I personally have
a nervousness about ‘green evangelists’, based on a fundamental distrust of all evangelists – do they really
mean it or are they out to get your money?

I also have a great nervousness when I hear of collaborations with companies such as Gap Inc. and Nike, who
appear to have possibly less than a pristine social conscience. One trembles with disbelief at the prospect
of responsible corporate reporting of the ‘triple bottom line’ of social, environmental as well as financial
performance, when one sees the skullduggery currently apparent with major multi-national corporations, such
as Enron, on maintaining any morality in even the latter.

Yet, I have come to understand, through talking to people like Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute
in Colorado, that it may be necessary, as Metropolis magazine describes it, for ‘eco-lambs to lay down with
eco-outlaws’. It is like counselling criminals to reform, and it appears more likely that business corporations
will ‘get it’ quicker than politicians, when one considers the mindsets of those in political power.
20
Thus, the driving engine of change in the global environment will be commerce informed by luminaries – the
politicians will mostly tag along behind (then march at the front of the crowd when success has been assured).

McDonough and Braungart envisage a future with, as Business Week describes it, ‘fabrics you can eat,
buildings that generate more energy than they produce, factories with wastewater clean enough to drink,
toxic-free products that instead of ending up as poison in landfill can be ‘upcycled’ as technical nutrients for
industry or biodegraded as biological nutrients for nature, no more waste, no more regulation’. The Business
Week headline shouts, ‘Surprise! Big business is listening’.

Below I have transcribed a short talk given by McDonough, at the launch of Savant, a recyclable carpet
product manufactured by BASF.

‘When do we become indigenous?

‘The big design question of today is – ‘How do we love all the children of all species for all time?’ It’s a big
question, and it’s not just our species, it’s not just our children, it’s the children of all species for all time.
The other questions that we are asking are, ‘When do we become native to this place? When do we become
indigenous to this planet? How many people consider themselves indigenous people?

‘There is a great story about the Hanford Nuclear Plant. They brought a group of scientists together to discuss
what they were going to do with the plutonium waste, how they could mark the ground where they were
going to bury the plutonium waste so that even an extra-terrestrial being wouldn’t dare to dig there in 5,000
years’ time? How’s that for a design problem? The semiology of extreme danger!

‘While they were having this meeting, they got talking to the Umatilla and Nez Pearce Indian tribes who are
native to that place. These people said: ‘You know you really don’t need to worry about this; we’ll tell them
where it is!’ They weren’t leaving. Imagine if you have a design frame where you think 5,000 years out, ‘Oh
yeah, we’ll still be here, we’ll still be working, we’ll tell them where it is!’

Cradle to Grave

‘Most manufacturers of products don’t know what is in their

products, don’t have a protocol for the development of their
products and basically have a ‘cradle to grave’ mentality –
make it, sell it, use it, watch it go away.’

‘We realised that customers are delightfully engaged with

manufacturers and their products and can develop quite long-
term relationships. And we realised that if we started to engage
with these long-term relationships, we might see a new way of
looking at things.’

‘Towards the end of the 20th century, we got to the concept of

‘eco-efficiency’, which had become the paradigm of choice Lifecycle assessment from manufacture
for enlightened commerce – first to final use, cradle to grave (the cradle) to use phase and disposal phase
lifecycle assessment; with focus on minimisation of damage (grave). Example – a tree helps to produce
and reduced materials use – reduce, reuse, recycle, minimise, paper, which is then recycled into low-energy
avoid, etc. – the objective is to reduce the human footprint.’ production insulation, then the insulation
is used as an energy-saving device in the
ceiling of a home. After the 40 years of the
insulation’s use, the cellulose fibres are
replaced and the old fibres are disposed of.

21
‘Why? Because the human footprint appears to be so dangerous. If we look out into the future, we can see
tragedies in the making – for example persistent toxification – and we start to ask ‘what does this mean?’
Companies are beginning to recognise these tragedies in the making, and they are beginning to realise that if
they perpetuate these systems, they have become ‘strategically tragic’. Any business that determines that it is
strategically tragic realises that it is perhaps time for a strategy of change.’

Cradle to Cradle

‘The protocols that we are now working with, that are appropriate to the beginning of the 21st century, are
cradle to cradle lifecycles. The concept of cradle to cradle is a very exciting one. Instead of minimising
damage, you are trying to optimise and maximise prosperity and health. Instead of just trying to reduce your
footprint, because humans are so bad and tragic, we are looking at how we can increase the human footprint.
What a terrifying prospect to most people – but what if we left wetlands behind?’

‘At this point in history, where something like 99 per

cent of the large mammals in the world is under human
management, we realise that we have some form of
dominion over the planetary surface. Perhaps if we start
thinking about our human footprint, it might be that we
should leave behind wetlands. If we look at the history
of rights, we realise that it has gone from the history of
what we call natural rights, the history of humans coming
out of the ‘Enlightenment’, to the rights of nature itself
to exist. Today we talk about endangered ecosystems, not
just endangered species. So wouldn’t it be marvellous if Herman Miller’s Mirra Chair is designed
we could leave behind healthy ecosystems?’ implementing the cradle to cradle concept. It
has been designed to be totally disassembled
and reused for easy repair or as source
Technical and Biological Nutrients material for the next model.

‘We have developed a concept of what we call ‘technical’ and ‘biological’ nutrients. If waste equals ‘food’,
then everything is either food for industrial metabolism (a technical nutrient) or natural metabolism (a
biological nutrient). Commerce and industry, producing what we call ‘products of service’, are operating
within the ‘technical cycle’, which has to operate within the natural world, but shouldn’t destroy it or
contaminate it. The industrial processes of manufacturing should be processes that control and close their
cycles – we should make things that go back to soil safely or make things that go back to industry forever.’

Downcycling

‘With a ‘product of service’, you actually want the

service of the product, not ownership of the molecules
that make it up. If you look at most things today that
design comment

“
are recycled, you see that it is really what we call
‘downcycling’. Take a plastic bottle. This is downcycled Being contemporary is about

”
to be a flowerpot, on its way to being a speed bump on updating what is already there.
its way to becoming landfill – it’s ‘downcycling’. Those
polymers are losing their value as they move through the Patric Hernandez
system, and they end up in landfill or in an incinerator. Architect
With polyethylene, you might have antimony residue
from catalytic reactions, which in an incinerator, produce carcinogens that become airborne and are inhaled.’

22
Upcycling

‘We created the term ‘downcycling’ which we see the

industry is catching on to. Now we have created a new
term called ‘upcycling’, the concept of the world getting
better, not less bad. The objective is to design protocols
that result in products that can get better and become
higher performance products. The materials that go into
such products are ‘technical nutrients’, designed to be safe
in industrial systems forever and designed to be capable
of ‘upcycling’. In this scenario, there is a balance going
on that is quite spectacular. The relationship of this small
Upcycling - giving new life to old furniture.
element of commerce to the larger natural world fits into Here, an old sofa has been recovered with a
a diagram, which Time magazine has called ‘a unified vibrant patchwork of vintage and classic fabrics.
philosophy’. This comes from the whole foundation of the
concept of sustainable development.’

Sustainable Development
design story
‘Sustainable development is not about getting
bigger. A lot of people feel that the term ‘sustainable
development’ is an oxymoron and that the options
are growth or no growth. The commercial world
is saying we must have growth because it’s the
Eco textiles
Bamboo is a grass that grows incredibly quickly
and is one of the most renewable fibre sources
engine of commerce, while the environmental world
on the planet. To make bamboo into fabric, it is
is saying we have to stop growing because it is
destroying the world. But it is not a choice between pulped, and the fibres are spun together to make
growth and no growth, that’s a specious argument. the fabric. The resulting product takes dye well
It’s about what do you want to grow? Do you want and can be made just about any colour.
to grow health or sickness, stupidity or intelligence,
prosperity or poverty? You have to choose what you There are some qualities inherent in bamboo
want to grow.’ fabric that makes it a particularly good choice for
organic textiles like towels.

Nature’s Laws
First, bamboo can easily
‘If you follow nature’s laws, growth is good. As absorb a lot of water, and
an architect or designer, I have to follow the law it is also incredibly soft
of gravity – it’s not just a good idea, it’s the law. and luxurious. Bamboo
Wouldn’t it be interesting if I followed the other is naturally antibacterial,
laws of nature? Well, what are they? If you think which makes it a good
of Einstein as a poet – ‘E’ is the sun, is energy, it’s choice for the bathroom.
physics; ‘M’ is the Earth, is matter, it’s chemistry; They are also machine
and you put the two together ‘C squared’, and you
washable and easy
deal with the one thing Einstein didn’t, biology,
to care for.
which is magic – a single photosynthetic cell, the
moment of life itself. When did that happen?’

‘If we follow nature’s laws, if we follow the law of taking the sun and applying it to the Earth’s matter and
creating things that grow – a tree grows, that’s good; a six-year-old grows, that’s good – we get to a concept
of good growth. Sustainable development becomes like you would develop an idea – it gets better, it gets
richer, it gets more intense – it doesn’t necessarily get bigger. It’s not like cancer, it doesn’t grow for the sake
of itself.’
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Opportunity

‘This is a design moment and an opportunity. We can share with each other this thing that our species has,
that distinguishes us from other species – we think – which is the fact that we are the only intentional species
and we may be the only species that has hope. If that is the case, it is time we adopted a strategy of change in
order to operate in a way that gives our children a strategy of hope.’

‘If we look at the notion of being native, a strategy of stewardship isn’t going to be enough. Now that we have
dominion, the ultimate question will be the native question. If you ask Oren Lyons, the chief of the Onondaga
people, an Iroquois Nation, he will tell you, ‘What you people call your natural resources our people call our
relatives’. ‘You realise that it is a whole different world, that instead of dominion and having stewardship over
the natural world, we become part of the natural world.’

For further information on the work of Bill McDonough visit www.mcdonough.com. You can read a short
summary and buy the book Cradle to Cradle, co-authored by McDonough and Braungart, on the website:
www.mcdonough.com/writings/cradle-cradle-remaking-way-make-things.

Glossary of Ecologically Sustainable Interior Products

The following is a glossary of some of the sustainable products available to the interior designer.
Sustainable design and manufacture is a growing field and there are new concepts, products and
designs available almost daily. Here are some to get you started.

Furniture

MoModul Furniture
The slotted method of construction allows furniture to be assembled in
multiple ways without adhesives, fixtures or fittings.
www.decovry.com

Freshwest
Much of their wooden furniture is held together with wooden pegs
or wedges instead of glue or screws. Timber is often locally sourced
MoModul furniture by Xavier
and finished in a natural, non-toxic finish. Freshwest experiments with
Coenen – wooden design of
different ideas and genres, creating innovative, original pieces. interlocking frames
www.freshwest.co.uk

Karen Ryan
Karen creates new pieces from discarded furniture she finds.
www.bykarenryan.co.uk

Burnt Toast
Burnt Toast combines mass-produced products and one-off
crafted commissions created using a variety of methods including
laminating ply, casting resin/metals, fabricating plastics and
upholstery. Products are for both commercial and domestic
markets, and most come in a range of laminates and colours.
www.mrmasters.co.uk Inside-out cabinets by Freshwest

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 Lighting
design story
Energy savvy
Appliances typically use about 25% of a household’s
Lucy Jane Norman
Creates lighting and other furniture with a focus
on recycling and reusing products, such as her
chandelier made of unwanted books and light
made of plastic bottle tops.
energy and produce about 45% of a family’s
greenhouse gas emissions, so it is important to Blue Marmalade
All Blue Marmalade furniture and products
encourage your client to be mindful of this when
are deceptively simple. Their detailed designs
choosing appliances. Buying appliances that are
are created from a handful of components
energy-efficient can be more expensive at first but resulting in low waste products that are
are sure to save your client money over the lifetime easily recycled. They are bright, colourful
of the equipment. and contemporary. Many of their lights are
designed specifically for energy saver bulbs
Some quick tips for an energy-efficient space: and are fitted with long life, high quality, low
1. Position fridges and freezers in cool spots, out of mercury and recyclable bulbs.
www.bluemarmalade.co.uk
the sun. This can save up to 100kgs of greenhouse
gas annually. Mixko
2. Fan-forced ovens generate up to 35% less Creates lamps made of 100 per cent
greenhouse gas than conventional ovens. sustainable wool felt that take energy-saving
3. Buying whitegoods with good energy ratings globes.
means your client can save up to 15-30% in running www.etsy.com/shop/MIXKO
cost per appliance per year.
Scott Jarvie
Creates lighting and furniture by reusing
everyday items to reduce material wastage.
His clutch light is made of 10,000 reclaimed
drinking straws. Many of his products are
designed so that they can be manufactured
quickly and easily, limiting the energy and
material used during manufacturing.
www.scottjarvie.co.uk

George Gold Furniture Design

Uses solid hardwood from managed sources,
which improves with age. All products are
constructed to last a lifetime and are finished
with natural, non-toxic oils. Bespoke items
can be commissioned.
georgegold.co

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Kitchens and Bathrooms

Aga
Every AGA cooker is almost completely recyclable. Since the very first model was made more than 80 years
ago, 70% of each AGA has been made from previously used material such as car gearboxes, guttering, old
machinery, cookers, door fittings, drain covers, lamp-posts and much more. Models in the AGA collection
are available with several fuel options, including LPG, but also natural gas, diesel, kerosene heating oil and
electricity. Aga has recently developed biofuel-ready cookers.
www.rayburn-web.co.uk

Everhot
Everhot electric ranges have an energy-saving design and low electricity
requirements. They feature an ECO control to provide continual heat
output at a low rate of energy consumption. Their factory is powered using
sustainable energy from a 13th-century watermill.
www.everhot.co.uk

Milestone
Milestone produced the UK’s first kitchens made solely from recycled
materials and well-managed resources. They are now producing kitchen
cabinetry from recycled plastics and are moving into bathroom design. The Everhot storage range
They offer a range of ceramic tiles made of between 25% and 38% is designed to provide both
recycled content and a range of low-energy light fittings. cooking and room heat.
www.milestone.uk.net

Whirlpool
Whirlpool’s Green Kitchen is a development project that combines energy-saving appliances within an
integrated kitchen system specially designed to save water, heat and energy. The heat produced from the
fridge compressor helps produce hot water for the dishwasher. Sensors able to measure the degree of soil in
water prevents wasting clean water running down the sink drain by diverting it to a special tank where it can
be re-utilised to water plants, clean floors or in the dishwasher’s cycle. A hood piloted by 6th sense sensors
can detect smoke or steam and regulate air extraction power accordingly. The system can reduce energy bills
by up to 70 per cent.
www.whirlpool.co.uk

Hansgrohe
Hansgrohe have eco-smart showers that have a special flow regulator
and specially adapted spray jets that make it possible to save up to 50
per cent of the water used by conventional showers when showering.
They also produce wash-basin mixers that have a special aerator
integrated into the mixer spout that enriches the water with air. This
decreases water consumption by about 50 per cent to a constant 7.2
litres per minute. Their Pontos AquaCycle systems use no chemicals
Low flow showerhead by
to treat used bath and shower water so it can be used a second time
Hansgrohe. Designed to mix
water with air to reduce water to flush the toilet, for example. The German production plan uses
consumption. solar panels to produce energy, and more than 90 per cent of waste is
recycled.
www.hansgrohe.co.uk

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Textiles

Muji
Muji reuses products wherever possible such as leftover yarn from fabric
production to create bed linen. They use minimal packaging to reduce
waste.
www.mujionline.co.uk

Traidcraft
Traidcraft sells fair trade food, craft and textile products from more than
100 producer groups in over 30 countries. It is both a trading company and
a development charity that aims to fight poverty through fair trade practices.
Beautifully printed duvet covers and organic cotton bed linen are just some
of the products you can find here.
www.traidcraft.co.uk Smooth and soft duvet from
Liv UK has been woven
from the finest organic and
Draper’s Organic
Fairtrade certified cotton
Natural organic hemp is used to create curtains, shower curtains, fabric, percale with a hemstitch
throws and homewares. They also offer super soft bamboo towels. Hemp is lace border and Tagua nut
grown without the use of harmful chemicals. button closing.
drapersorganic.co.uk

Decorative Accessories

Ethical Superstore
This store offers a range of fair trade, organic, eco-friendly,
locally produced products. This includes not only homewares
but also fashion, groceries and cleaning products. Their
selection of homewares includes wine glasses made of
recycled glass in Bolivia and fair trade recycled cotton rugs
from India.
www.ethicalsuperstore.com

Bombus
They sells vintage and recycled products such as felt cushions
covered in vintage buttons.
The designers at Bombus are using vintage
www.bombus.co.uk
comics, atlases and street maps to decoupage
a selection of goods that range from chairs,
to bowls and plates, mirrors and notebooks.
Walls & Floors

Dalsouple
Dalsouple’s DalNaturel rubber flooring contains over 90 per cent natural ingredients, with all of the rubber
content being completely natural. Natural rubber is a wholly renewable raw material.
www.dalsouple.co.uk

The Alternative Flooring Company

This company produces natural fibre flooring made from sisal, grasses, coir, jute and wool carpets. Fibres are
all from sustainable natural resources. Their Nature and Nurture carpets are organic, textured natural wool
carpets that have been handwoven on traditional looms and come in a variety of natural colours.
www.alternativeflooring.com

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Auro Paints and wood finishes
Auro products contain only natural raw
design story
Hardwood
materials except for a tiny amount of a
synthetic, lead-free drier, as no natural
alternative exists. They are free from
petrochemicals. The use of natural, plant-
based ingredients means that allergy
sufferers and people who are chemically
sensitive are more able to tolerate Auro
products.
www.auro.co.uk

The Green Building Store

Offers Biofa, a range of high-performance
natural paints and varnishes that includes
interior flat emulsion, kitchen and
bathroom paints, gloss and eggshell
finishes, flooring waxes and oils. The richness of natural hardwood flooring can add
www.greenbuildingstore.co.uk unmistakable charm to any room. Today’s hardwood floors
come in more species, widths and colours than ever before
and are more durable. With proper care and maintenance,
hardwood flooring can last more than a lifetime and will add
real value to a home.

Some hardwood floors now are now offered with a click-

lock, glueless tongue-and-groove locking system, similar to
laminate flooring.
Alpaca pillow designs by One Eco Home.
They offer a fabulous range of contemporary • Wood floors are a natural, non-allergenic product.
sustainable furniture and homewares that
• Hardwood floors can add real value to a home.
don’t just look good, but do good too.
• There are two basic types of hardwood floor construction:
Outdoor Furniture Solid Wood Floors (prefinished and unfinished)
- cut from a tree as a solid piece of wood
Hen & Hammock - plank widths vary from 2¼’ to about 12’
7
A small independent business that offers - plank thicknesses vary from /16 ‘ to about ¾’
environmentally friendly gardening - recommended for above grade installations
products and outdoor furniture, with • Nail-down installation to a wood type subfloor
a colourful range of deck chairs and - 3 to 9 wood plies glued and laminated together
hammocks. They use local materials, 9
- plank thicknesses vary from ⅜’ to about / 16‘
recycle and reuse where possible and
- plank widths vary from 2¼’ to about 7’
commit 10% of their profit before tax to
non-profit organisations which are working - glue, float, staple, or nail-down on all grade levels
to make a better world. - less affected by humidity changes than solid wood floors.
www.henandhammock.co.uk • Wood accents are available to create unique looks and
patterned designs.
Raw Studio • All hardwood floors can be scratched, but scratches in the
This store sells a variety of outdoor finish layer are easy to repair.
furniture including hanging chairs, made • Direct sunlight may affect the wood colour over time.
in the UK from sustainably sourced FSC • Most hardwood floors can be used over radiant heat with
exterior grade birch ply.
some limitations.
www.rawstudio.co.uk
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Useful Online Resources

Centre for Sustainable Design

International Interior Designers Association
www.cfsd.org.uk

United Nations Environment Program

Environmental Design + Construction
www.unenvironment.org

O2 – International Network for Sustainable Design

Green Design Education Initiative
This hammock chair from Hen &
www.o2.org
Hammock is made from natural
organic cotton.
Socially Responsible Design SRD:
Responsible Interior Designers
www.sociallyresponsibledesign.org
srd.org.au

Design for Environment Guide

UoC Environmental Design Library
www.lib.berkeley.edu/libraries/environmental-design-
library
Hanging chair designs by Raw.

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end of tutorial nine (9).
We hope you are enjoying and benefiting from your course.

Please make a point of reviewing these notes until you are totally
familiar with the content and techniques presented.

Please find guidelines for your assignment on the following page.

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assignment six
For this assignment, we would like you to do some research into aspects of
ecologically sustainable design that you consider would best reflect the area of
the industry that you will enter.

Your submission will be a research report, under 500 words in length.

We suggest you use the internet to locate products, materials and ideas. Your report should
include a list of websites, links and relevant pages – with a synopsis of each sustainable idea.

The relevance and purpose of this assignment are to get you to commence your own database of
information that will help you in the future but also to let you go through the process of research.

Research is a large part of the design process and will come into every commission that you
obtain. We do not want to see pages of printed web pages, just a list and a summary of your
findings.

Some suggested examples for you to investigate for this assignment are:
• How would you make your own home or business environment healthier and more sustainable?
• C
 onduct research via the internet, books and magazines into sustainable products (in addition
to those in the Glossary of Ecologically Sustainable Products in this tutorial). Or, look for new
ecological design innovations. These could be overseas innovations that are not yet available in
the UK.
• I nvestigate developments in sustainable housing and present an example. You can easily find
some incredibly innovative examples of these on the internet.
• I f you live in a rural area, investigate composting toilets, solar toilets and greywater recycling
systems – how do they work and where are they available from?

The above are merely suggestions – you might wish to follow a different avenue altogether, e.g.
investigating paints and what is harmful in standard paints and how non-toxic paints are made.

Perhaps you would like to visit the website of one of the manufacturers listed in the glossary and
report on their production methods.

As with all your assignments, take this to whatever degree you feel comfortable with. The more
you stretch yourself, however, the more you will learn and benefit.

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assignment six examples
Please click here to access examples of Assignment Six.
These examples will demonstrate how previous students have approached the task, and we hope
they can provide you with further guidance as to what is required. You will still need to apply
your own thoughts and concepts to the task and ensure you meet the task requirements within
your own presentation.
If you do have any remaining queries or require further clarification, please review the
guidelines and contact us by email with any questions you may have.

submission details
Submit via email: [email protected]
OR
Submit via Student Portal: log into the Student Portal, select ‘My Assignments’ then ‘Submit
Assignment’ in the left-hand menu, and follow the prompts to upload.

Include: Name & assignment number in the subject line of your submission.
e.g. John Smith A6

Format: Please compile all work into one document. Send as a PDF (preferred) or a
Microsoft Word file, and ensure the file size is kept under 10MB. When naming
your file, ensure you use text only, no special characters (such as # ‘ - , { etc.).

Please Note: If the College receives your file and it is larger than 10MB, it will
be returned to you with a request that you resave your document so that you are
able to practise the skills required, so you are industry-ready. See Emailing Under
10MB in Tutorial (1) for further instruction. Keep in mind that in this instance,
your tutor is your client. Please ensure you present your work to the best of
your ability.

Please ensure you save copies of your work.

Send any assignment questions to: [email protected]

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