SEGD 2010 No. 27 - 45

booths, advertising, interactive design, and video animations for the nonproﬁt since 2004. “I helped deﬁne what the designs needed to achieve in terms of their messages and character,” says Andre Poremski, the USGBC’s design manager. “Shaw Jelveh worked iteratively with our team to reﬁne the suite of visuals, and we’re all very happy with the outcome.” Unmistakable ﬁrst impression Material matters From the lobby, the USGBC’s serious commitment to sustainability and transparency is on full view. An unmistakable ﬁrst impression comes in the form of a two-story identity wall that features the USGBC’s oakleaf logo carved into panels of 200- to 300-year-old gumwood salvaged from the Tennessee River. Prior to Shaw Jelveh Design joining the team, Envision designed this central identity incorporating the USGBC’s signature three oak leaves. True to the nature of LEED standards of sustainability and transparency, the environmentally preferable methods demonstrated with this aspect of the project alone set the bar high. The gumwood panels are third-party certiﬁed by Scientiﬁc Certiﬁcation Systems (SCS) as being 100% submerged lumber and containing no chemicals, adhesives, or additives of any kind. Waterborne Pre-Cat Lacquer 375 by Fuhr Industrial was used as a clear ﬁnish on the paneling. This water-based ﬁnish surpasses South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) requirements for volatile organic compounds. Envision Design did all of the LEED documentation for the graphic products, working closely with the materials consultant, Mega Media Concepts (Sparta, N.J.), to identify graphic materials that had the best environmental qualities for Shaw Jelveh to use. The environmentally preferable alternatives did not cost more than conventional materials, says Shaw. For applications that would traditionally call for cut vinyl (PVCbased) lettering on glass, for example, Mega Media provided a clear ﬁlm it calls “Eco Film,” made of polyester and applied with a waterbased adhesive. (Mega Media does not manufacture the ﬁlm. The speciﬁc product name was not provided). “Vinyl cut lettering is less expensive and much more readily installed,” says Marybeth Shaw, principal of Shaw Jelveh. “It was quite a challenge working with the ﬁlm.” But the choice underscores the project’s commitment to sustainability. Other graphic elements employed what Mega Media calls “EcoWallpaper” made from post-consumer recycled paper content and printed with latex-based, VOC-free inks as well as Eco-Celtic Cloth (by Dazian Fabrics) made from 100% recycled polyester. (Mega Media does not manufacture the wallpaper and the speciﬁc product name was not provided.) When Envision wanted to add interest to glass conference room doors, the team designed large-scale frosted renderings of the Due Diligence Envision Design has created LEED-certiﬁed interiors for several leading environmental non-proﬁts, as well as many other corporate clients. When asked about Envision’s approach to incorporating environmentally preferable materials and processes, Principal Ken Wilson says his team asks lots of questions about the products they use. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ What is it made of? How is it made? Where is it made? How is it transported? How is it installed? ■ ■ ■ ■ How long will it last? How is it maintained? Can it be recycled? How are environmental claims veriﬁed? “Designers just need to think more about what they’re doing and take more responsibility for what they’re creating,” continues Wilson. “We can no longer consider things that are harmful to the environment to be good design, no matter how much we like them.” Opposite: Architects Envision Design conceived USGBC’s dramatic entry statement: a two-story identity wall made from panels of 200- to 300-year-old gumwood salvaged from the Tennessee River. The wood is thirdparty SCS-certiﬁed and the lacquer used as a clear ﬁnish surpasses VOC requirements. (Photo: Eric Laignel) Above left: For the conference room, Envision abstracted and super scaled the familiar USGBC oak leaves on frosted ﬁlm. The polyester ﬁlm was an environmentally preferable alternative to PVC-based vinyl, and was manufactured just 224 miles away, satisfying LEED stipulations for materials sourced within a 500-mile radius. (Photo: Eric Laignel) Left: The “Performance Dashboard” demonstrates the ofﬁce’s energy efﬁciency via real-time data. Using an interface designed by Shaw Jelveh, visitors can monitor performance criteria such as plug load, emissions, HVAC, and lighting. Background text is a listing of LEED-certiﬁed projects, printed with latex-based inks on wallpaper made from 20% post-consumer recycled paper ﬁber content. (Photo: Eric Laignel) segdDESIGN 45

SEGD 2010 No. 27

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SEGD 2010 No. 27