How Is Recycling Affecting Interior Design - Essay Example

How is Recycling Affecting Interior Design? 2007 The paper deals with the issue of recycling and its impact on interior design. The points we are going to discuss concern sustainable design and green building, basis for the usage of recycling as one of the major approaches to interior design and the degree of implementation of the ideas in life. Recycling represents one of the sustainable approaches to design and must be a part of the technologies of future. Recycling and Sustainable Design The history of recycling in the United States began almost a century ago. The reprocessing of materials has a number of benefits: it reduces the inputs (lowering the consumption of raw materials and energy) and outputs (waste that goes to landfills) of a production system (Letsrecycle.Com 2006). A study by the Technical University of Demark studied 55 products in household rubbish, comparing the effects of burning, burying and recycling them. The results proved that recycling was the most efficient way to do with the waste more than 80% of the times, providing a worthwhile energy savings in comparison with production from raw materials: 95% economy for aluminium, 70% fro plastics and 40 % for paper (Economist 2007). Since 1970s recycling is associated with the notions of sustainable design (also green or ecological design) and sustainable community development. According to Green Supply Line (2007), “Sustainable design is a comprehensive, holistic approach to creating products and systems that are environmentally benign, socially equitable, and economically viable: environmentally, such that the design offers obvious or measurable environmental benefits; socially, so that it fills the needs of everyone involved in its production, use and disposal or reuse; and economically, so that the design is competitive in the marketplace.” Pellow, Schnaiberg and Weinberg (2000) suggest that recycling has become a model of sustainable community development while it has environmental, economic and social benefits, where economic one plays, perhaps, the crucial role (p.7-8). Today recycling is one of the major requirements of sustainable design and sustainable community development. For instance, Santa Monica Green Building Program names “recycling of demolition & construction waste in construction contracts” and specification of recycled products per EPA purchasing guidelines among its requirements to materials and envelope and space planning (Santa Monica.org). Recycling, together with efficient reduction and reuse of resources (materials and energy) is underlined as one of the major principles in most of the architectural programs and guidelines (For instance, Kim and Rigdon 1998, Shu-Yang, Freedman and Cote 2004). Ideas and Their Implementation in Interior Design Many people are preoccupied with the idea of making their homes ‘green’. Due to baby boomers green building has become one of the major trends pushed by architects, informs Jennifer Hiller (2007). A green or eco home is entirely designed with the help of environmentally friendly materials – renewable resources and recyclables. Besides, ever more people request their architects to design recycling centers next to the trashcans in the kitchen (Hiller 2007). This practice is becoming a formula for many communities and building organizations. So according to Santa Monica Green Building Requirements Guideline it is obligatory to “provide space for recyclables storage”. It is demanded that “these spaces must be at grade or have a lift to allow roll-in and roll-out of wheeled bins”, and “recyclables storage and handling area must be adequate for the recyclables flow from the occupancy, assuming a 100% recovery rate over a typical period between pickups and a minimum of four recyclables: paper, metals, plastics and glass”. Further, the guideline provides precise design standards for the recycling storage space (Santa Monica.Org). In 2002 William McDonough and Michael Braungart published their book “Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things”. The authors underline the significance of the natural environment for the sustainable development of the society and economy and express their vision of human progress as “one big error”. They state that waste is the product of poor design, based on the “cradle to grave” approach, brute force and universal design solution. On the other hand, at present, recycling, reuse and reduce only slow down the destructive cycle. Recycling is very expensive. Besides, it may lead to additional toxic waste. Thus the authors offer a fundamental shift, proposing that architects, designers and manufactures, should rely on a completely new framework of interaction with the world. Their idea is based on the fact that in nature waste serves as food for life. Thus they suggest that all products should be viewed as nutrients within both biological and industrial metabolism, so that technology will be turned towards nature. To achieve this people should produce things out of the materials that can be simply thrown on the ground to decompose (Designboom.com 2007). Dr. Michael Braungart in cooperation with his colleagues from EPEA developed a “cradle to cradle” design protocol, based on the “intelligent products system,” which suggests that all the materials in products must be inventoried and evaluated as to their characteristics and application, and classified in four categories indicating whether the material satisfies human health and environmental relevance criteria. As a result the content of materials must be optimized within a product application due to selection of proper chemicals, so that “red” or “X-list” chemicals (such as endocrine disruptors, carcinogens, reproductive toxins, mutagens, and teratogens) would be entirely replaced by “green” chemicals. William McDonough and Michael Braungart carried out such a design assignment in 1993. Their purpose was ‘to create an attractive and functional fabric that could safely return to the environment at the end its useful life’. Their first project resulted in a collection of compostable fabrics for DesignTex, manufacturing commercial wallcoverings, seating upholstery, window treatments and office panel systems, made of ‘a toxin-free blend of wool and organically grown ramie, a linen-like fiber’ of high-quality and absolutely safe for human health and environment. To create the collection the authors had to entirely change the production process and analyze thousands of chemicals and dyes (only 38 out of 8000 were found suitable). Since 1995, McDonough and Braungart were engaged in sustainable product designs for Ford Motors, Nike, Herman Miller Furniture, Design Tex, etc.) (Designboom.com 2007). By May 2007 Herman Miller Furniture produced about 16% (comparing to 6% in 2006) of its items using the technology offered by McDonough and Braungart and they want 100% of their products to be designed according to the ‘cradle to cradle’ protocol. The company’s first Cradle to Cradle furniture example that came to the marketplace is the Mirra Chair, which can be disassembled within 15 minutes. All the materials are safe for health, and they can be easily sorted and reutilized. Only 4% of the Mirra Chair is not recyclable. The second model, the Celle Chair, is even simpler to be disassembled and its parts can be redeployed. The company continues its experiments, seeking for new materials and designs, in order to produces furniture that looks elegant and lovely, but is also smart (The Metropolis 2007). Allsteel (Muscatine, Iowa) and European-based Preform Manufacturing (Goldenrod, Fla.) are the two companies following the Herman Miller’s Furniture example and making furniture that meets lifecycle assessment demand. There are a number of other companies producing recyclable furniture. Steelcase, a leading office furniture manufacturer, sells furniture with recyclable fabrics and low emission wood finishes. The company also earned LEED certification for their new manufacturing facility. Baltix also offers furniture, where ‘every piece is recyclable, reusable and returnable.’ Dar-Ran Furniture Industries (High Point, N.C.) manufactures fabrics ‘made from 100 percent recycled content’. Homasote Co. (West Trenton, N.J.) is another company offering such building products as a museum-grade tackable panel called PINnacle, 100 percent made from recycled wood fiber, as well as tackable surfaces, interior paneling and others, made from post-consumer recycled waste paper (Hucal 2003). However, other approaches are possible. So Jack Elliott’s research is “blending designs that communicate values of sustainability – even regenerativity – with production methods that adapt new technologies to formerly wasted materials.” He also considers that sustainable design of furniture should combine the proper choice of materials with aesthetic message. Elliot believes, that furniture and interior design should “communicate the need to be more careful and sensitive about how we live in the world”, “indicate a respect for nature, a caring for any living system”. However, Professor Elliot is an advocate of reusability, rather than recycling. Instead of sparing energy for recycling it is better to design furniture so that 80-95% of materials could be broken down and put together again (Winter 2002). Both approaches to the furniture design are very important for the USA, where interior designs, especially those of commercial interior space, are on average changed every five years, the waste being dumped in landfills (Winter 2002). Another vital issue for the interior design in the aspect of recycling is carpeting, which is one of the design components most common to all buildings. Stephanie Watson (2005) reports that almost 5 billion pounds of carpet are sent to landfills every year, that 2 million tons of rugs and carpets are removed from homes and businesses each year in the U.S. ‘Most carpeting,- she informs,- is made from synthetic fibers, such as nylon and polyester, that are not biodegradable. Once disposed of in landfills, carpeting remains in the environment for generations’. Though being expensive, recycling old carpet has several benefits: it ‘conserves much-needed landfill space, decreases societal dependence on petroleum, and reduces the energy needed to manufacture carpet from virgin fibers.’ Refurbishment is another way of recycling carpets (Watson 2005). Buts As we can see, recycling provides solutions for three Es’ (ecology, economy and equity) issues. However, green building and recycling in sustainable design still stay rather a fad than a rule, notes Hiller (2007). Jack Elliot also points to the lack of professional response to the issues of sustainable design. The designers continue doing “business as usual” pursuing their own interests. In 2002 only nine schools for designers offered coursework dealing with the issues of sustainable design, while only five of those had the courses as obligatory (Winter 2002). Conclusion: Recycling is an essential part of the sustainable design and green building. Though the issue has been discussed since 1970s, it is still not implemented in interior design in full measure. The reasons are high costs of recycling process and technology. However, it has become fashionable in recent years to implement the principles of recycling in homes, which stimulated many companies to begin producing environmentally friendly building materials, furniture and fabrics, made of recycled and recyclable materials. Besides, there are special requirements as to the space planning in green building, which is to ease sorting of the materials for recycling. References: Designboom.com. McDonough, William and Bruangart, Michael. Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. North Point Press, 2002. Book review. Available at: www.designboom.com/eng/funclub/cradle.html - 21k Economist.com. Recycling. The Price of Virtue. June 7 2007. Available at: www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9302727 Green Supply Line. Sustainable Design: not Just for Architecture Any More. HOW-TO: Best Practices. Posted March 12 2007. Available at: www.greensupplyline.com/howto/bestpractices/198001675 - 39k Hiller, Jennifer. What’s New in Home Design Trends. San Antonio Express, News, May 12, 2007, Available at: http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/libweb/elib/do/document?set=search&groupid=1&requestid=lib_standard&resultid=1&edition=&ts=12182E42FE52CEB3EA8FC12607A75B7F_1187439832982&urn=urn%3Abigchalk%3AUS%3BBCLib%3Bdocument%3B139354426 Hucal, Michelle Clark. Designing for Workplace Solutions. Environmental Design and Construction, Vol. 6, March 1, 2003, Available at: http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/libweb/elib/do/document?set=search&groupid=1&requestid=lib_standard&resultid=4&edition=&ts=12182E42FE52CEB3EA8FC12607A75B7F_1187439998200&urn=urn%3Abigchalk%3AUS%3BBCLib%3Bdocument%3B73091818 Kim, Jong-Jin and Rigdon, Brenda. Sustainable Architecture Module: Introduction to sustainable Design. College of Architecture and Urban Planning, The University of Michigan, National Pollution Prevention Center for Higher Education, December 1998. Available at: http://www.umich.edu/~nppcpub/resources/compendia/ARCHpdfs/ARCHdesIntro.pdf LetRecycle.Com. Legislation News. PMs advisor hails recycling as climate change action. Posted August 11, 2006. Available at: www.letsrecycle.com/legislation/news.jsp?story=6231 - 37k The Metropolis. Specifying It: Scott Charon and Susan Lyons from Herman Miller Speak. From the 2007 Metropolis Conference: Design Entrepreneurs: Rethinking Energy May 21, 2007, Posted August 10, 2007, Available at: www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=2908 - 53k Pellow, David N., Schnaiberg, Allan and Weinberg, Adam S. Urban Recycling and the Search for Sustainable Community Development. Princeton University Press, 2000, 225 pgs. Santa Monica Green Building Program. Green Building requirements Guidelines. Available at: http://greenbuildings.santa-monica.org/envelope/envrecycledmaterials.html Shu-Yang, Fan, Freedman, Bill and Cote, Raymond. Principles and Practices of Ecological Design. Environmental Review, Vol. 12 (2), 2004, pp.97-112 Watson, Stephanie A. Environmentally Responsible Carpet Choice. Journal of Family and Consumer Science, Vol. 97 (1), January 1, 2002, Available at: http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/libweb/elib/do/document?set=search&groupid=1&requestid=lib_standard&resultid=1&edition=&ts=12182E42FE52CEB3EA8FC12607A75B7F_1187440055768&urn=urn%3Abigchalk%3AUS%3BBCLib%3Bdocument%3B119595995 Winter, Metta. The Greening of Design: Jack Elliott Believes Interior Designers Can and Should Play a Major Role in Preventing Environmental Degradation, That Sustainability Should Be Central to All Design Decisions. Human Ecology, Vol. 30 (1), 2002, pp.8-13 Read More