ASID Icon - January/February 2009 - (Page 21)

Nala Chair by Brandrud and Herman Miller, Industry Partner of ASID/ Hospital furniture is not generally associated with cutting-edge design, but ASID Industry Partner Herman Miller’s Nala chair could change that. Designed with patients and caregivers in mind, this stylish, beautifully contoured chair moves in unique ways to accommodate patients with limited mobility. people who really have a higher education and ucation deeper pockets; they travel, they have a higher ave design aesthetic,” creating a market for high-end aging in place and other health care products. roducts. In fact, many designers today insist that the line t is blurring between sustainable products and those cts that beneﬁt aging or disabled populations. Some say ons. that line never existed in the ﬁrst place. e. “There is absolutely no separation for me tion between universal design and sustainable design,” able says Victoria Schomer, ASID, LEED AP, principal of P, Green Built Environments in Asheville, N.C. e, “You cannot extrapolate one from the other,” m Leslie Shankman-Cohn, ASID, CAPS, of Jill Hertz Interior Design in Memphis, Tenn., agrees. “You want that energy efﬁcient light bulb so you don’t have to change it as often. You want low-PVC prodw-PVC ucts because someone older or with respiratory h problems needs to breath easier. All of these issues f pertain to all of us.” To honor the commitment to social responsiial bility displayed by today’s designers, ASID ICON presents five products that make a difference, reﬂecting the industry’s desire to preserve natural serve resources and reduce waste while making it easier king for all people to live life unencumbered. ed. The products we have chosen to highlight are an award-winning ofﬁce chair that’s as sleek as it is eco-friendly; a streamlined window-locking system that aids arthritis sufferers and ensures safety; a line of vibrant paints made from earth-friendly mineral powder; a carpeting system that eliminates a previously invisible—but potentially fatal—risk to hospital patients; and a hospital chair that moves with a patient’s body, reducing the effort required to stand, sit or transfer from a bed. Some of these products are the result of years of research into saving energy or helping people age in place. Others were developed with an eye on style and only later revealed their beneﬁts to the earth or a population in need. But all represent the new wave of social responsibility among today’s designers, a trend that promises to change not only how designers do their jobs, but how we all live in the 21st century. i Douglas Quenqua is a freelance writer based in New York City. -Nala’s suspension system reduces the effort required for patients to stand up -The chair’s back and seat operate as a single unit, opening up as the patient reclines and pivoting at the ankle, knee and hip -Unique motion gives the patient a place to rest his feet as he stands up -Back legs contain a pair of wheels that allow the chair to be moved easily -Arms swing up and out of the way for ease of use by patients and caregivers Polychromie Le Corbusier by kt.Color Color The Polychromie Le Corbusier line of paints was born when Swiss paint manufacturer kt.Color set out to discover the secrets of turn-of-the-century architect Le Corbusier. kt.Color ier. founder Katrin Trautwein researched extensively to re-create -create the colors as accurately as possible. The result is a line of paints that are brilliantly colorful—and drawn directly from the earth in a low-impact process. “Our philosophy is to use as little as necessary,” explains Trautwein. -Created in an exclusive partnership with the Fondation Le Corbusier, based on the architect’s original color palette -Polychromie paints use the same mineral pigments that Corbusier used in the mid-20th century -Raw, natural earth pigments are made from colorful clays found in the earth’s crust, using the least amount of energy to grind and process www.asid.org january/february/09 icon 21 http://www.asid.org

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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