ASID Icon - January/February 2009 - (Page 20)

SmarTouch Window Lock by Milgard/ Milgard Windows and Doors did not set out to make a window lock that would make life easier for people with arthritis or other disabilities. “Our engineers were working to make a lock that was secure but easy to open for the general population,” Emily Ness, marketing specialist with Milgard, says. Once it was done, “we were playing with some samples here in the ofﬁce and someone said it would make a good candidate for the Arthritis Foundation Ease-of-Use program.” -SmarTouch won the 2007 Arthritis Foundation Ease-of-Use Commendation -The Industrial Designers Society of America and BusinessWeek honored the lock with the 2008 International Design Excellence Award. -SmarTouch boasts easy one-touch operation -Windows with SmarTouch can open or close with minimal effort -Easy to use for those who suffer from arthritis or other hand and arm injuries -SmarTouch is recessed into the window frame for a sleek, streamlined look -The lock’s recessed position makes it possible to tell from a distance whether the window is secured “There are probably more than three dozen organizations now that help to qualify a product from the point of view of sustainability, and every day new products are coming on board,” Stelmack points out. “The number of products has grown exponentially. It’s phenomenal.” So, what’s changed? Plenty, though not everyone agrees on when the shift began. Some point to the “sick building” syndrome that swept through the United States in the 1980s, making ofﬁce workers aware for the ﬁrst time of the impact their workspaces could have on their health. Others point to the drumbeat of media attention on global warming in recent years, making everyone more willing to spend money on “green” products. And some think the spike in building-related asthma complications have taken their toll on the public consciousness. Whatever the reason, furniture, carpets, paints, even light bulbs that marry style and sustainability, are more available than ever before, ushering in a golden age for designers who want to create ecofriendly spaces that also inspire. “I am now seeing lots of innovation, and lots of manufacturers are getting more and more interested [in sustainability], and more excited about it because they know it’s important to us,” says Claire E. Tamburro, ASID, of design ﬁrm Austin Kuester in Alexandria, Va. But sustainability is only part of the story. The desire for social responsibility that is sweeping the design community today extends to making lives better for clients across the board. And there is no shortage these days of stylish products that are as beneﬁcial as they are beautiful. “We have 76 million aging baby boomers out there who are going to need a place to help care for aging parents or fa family members,” says Michael A. Thomas, FASID, CAPS, president of Design Collective Group in Jupiter, Fla. “And these are Integra HP RE Carpet Backing by Mannington Commercial/ ki b M itC i l/ Sometimes what makes your life easier can also make it better. Take, for example, Mannington Commercial’s Integra HP RE carpet backing, which was designed to improve mobility for hospital patients who rely on wheelchairs, but turns out also to eliminate a serious health risk. -Enables seamless carpeting between rooms, allowing easier mobility for people who use wheelchairs or other assisted walking devices -Eliminating seams also eliminates a signiﬁcant gathering place for bacteria -Contains a minimum of 10 percent post-consumer recycled content -Backing is fully recyclable via Mannington’s LOOP carpet reclamation program 20 icon january/february/09 the magazine of the american society of interior designers

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ASID Icon - January/February 2009

ASID Icon - January/February 2009 Contents President's Letter Of Note Innovations Getting it Right Shadowing Design Bearing Up Industry Contrast Up Close Design for Life Environotes Inside ASID Grassroots Showroom Resource Guide/Advertisers Needful Things

ASID Icon - January/February 2009

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