Invista Lands LEED Gold for Chicago Showroom
The new design incorporates much of the original structural elements and furniture, minimizing the need for new materials.
Nicholas Tamarin -- Interior Design, 2/11/2009 12:00:00 AM
The gilded age continues at the Merchandise Mart, as carpet manufacturer Invista becomes the latest in a long line of tenants within the venerable Chicago trade center to earn LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Hometown firm Design Collaboratives scored the USGBC's second-highest environmental nod for the renovation of the Antron carpet fiber manufacturer's circa-1983 showroom. To reduce waste and avoid using new materials, much of the space’s original structural elements and furniture were repurposed, including 600 feet of existing millwork surfacing, floor-to-ceiling glass space dividers, and several vintage tables and chairs.
Design Collaboratives also earned LEED points by utilizing low-energy LED accent lighting, Energy Star-rated appliances, and renewable energy credits. Additionally, the space incorporates such LEED-friendly materials as zero-VOC paints and adhesives, and 100-percent recycled, no-formaldehyde substrates.
And then there’s the carpet -- naturally, it’s Environmentally Preferable Product-certified Antron. And while brand manager Melissa Noebes extols the new space as a platform for educating today’s designers about sustainability, she’s already anticipating the next big face lift. "We're looking forward to another 20 years in the showroom and seeing what the next reuse of these materials will bring," Noebes says.
Images courtesy of Invista.
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