The GDA Blog

Fire and Ice

Like fire and ice, concrete and aluminum sound like opposites, but those are the sustainable materials  I wanted to use to design a new dining table for our NYC clients.  I like to combine materials that sound illogical together.  The concept was to use a six foot slab of concrete for the top and support it with a lighter than air aluminum base.  Eric at OSO Industries saw no problem with the concept and manufactured the table exactly as our design drawings indicated. The clients love our custom table design and Eric must like it too, because it is featured on his site.  See it at OSO Industries.  Thanks, Eric!

Interior Design Students

I'm an invited guest to closing out the school year at Brookdale College in Lincroft, NJ tonight.  The interior design students are displaying their work and gathering to celebrate the end of the year.  I can't wait to see what they have been working on this semester and see how they are incorporating sustainability into their projects.

Design

I'm heading to Denver tomorrow to be the Master of Ceremonies at ASID Colorado chapter's Tenth Annual Interior Design Awards on May 1.  I will be sharing the stage with an impressive group including the ASID Colorado chapter leaders, Denver Mayor John C. Hickenlooper, keynote Brian Graham recently affiliated with Knoll , as well as award winning interior designers in 30 distinct categories of residential and commercial design.  That's a lot of great design to pack into one evening!
I'm especially pleased to be asked to participate in the milestone event because the theme of the evening is "Impressions".  Interior designers' work has a tremendous impact not only on the people who live, work and play in the spaces we design but also on the environment.  This is a wonderful opportunity to talk about one of my favorite subjects -design and sustainability.

Sustainability: What is luxury?

Sustainable doesn't need to imply deprivation.  Less is more is a tenet of sustainability, so how is luxury defined?
The first thing that comes to mind in terms of luxury is something handmade, one of a kind, of exceptional design, and executed by an artist or crafts person.  Of course, the materials need to be local, sustainable, responsibly harvested and the object produced in a socially responsible manner. More on this notion of luxury will follow.

Sustainable Design Students

I was invited to participate on the panel for "Interior Design: Sustaining the Future" as part of the New York 11 2008 Student Exhibition at both the Legislative Office Building in Albany and the Teknion  showroom in Manhattan, the site of last night's event. This annual event, founded by Ruth Lyndford, FASID to promote interior design to the public and legislators was attended by students from the eleven educational institutions offering four year interior design programs as well as industry members.I was joined on the panel by Debera Johnson, Academic Director of Sustainability, Pratt Institute , Erika Doering, Principal, Erika Doering Design and Erika Hanson, Principal, Erika Hanson Design sustainability designers, lecturers and impassioned ring leaders for environmental stewardship.  We opinionated-women-involved-in- sustainability were moderated by Susan Szenasy, Editor-in-Chief,  Metropolis Magazine who, as usual, drove us to the heart of the matter during her insightful questions following each presentation. We talked about Pratt's new collaborative approach to learning about sustainability, the two Erikas' approach to specifying sustainable products for their current collaborative design effort as well a sampling of the state of collaboration on sustainable projects among design teams around the country - my contribution. Susan asked how we will define luxury within the tenets of sustainability in the years to come.  I am still pondering.

From Left:
Susan Szenasy, Suzan Globus, Debera Johnson and  Erika Doering at the NY 11 Panel. Not visible: Erika Hanson

Red Bank Public Library Re-Opening

When REDBANKgreen editor John T. Ward, called for an interview about GDA's interior design in the renovation of the Red Bank Public Library, I was happy to meet him at the library and walk him through the project.  He was not only interested, but gets high marks on his grasp of interior design and its implications.  Thanks, John , for shedding some light on our work.  If you are in the area, stop by for the Library’s grand reopening, Saturday May, 12 and let Library Director, Debbie Griffin-Sadel and her staff give you a tour. 

Librarians' Top Model

When I was asked by  ASID  to recommend one of my clients to take part in an advertising campaign to explain the value of using an ASID professional interior designer, I asked my longest-standing client, Elaine McConnell, Director of the  Ocean County Library  , if she would like to be an model for a day in a photo shoot for a testimonial ad.  Don't forget, this woman, a role model to many, once posed for a fund raising calendar for the library atop a Harley. Certainly, she would take this request in stride.  Boy, did she. Elaine was such a good sport and so generous with her compliments about working with GDA . I took some of my own photos of the proceedings while trying not to annoy the photographers too much to tide you over until the ads run.  You can look for them in Crains and New York Spaces magazines soon. Thanks, Elaine. The pleasure was mine.

Suzan Globus Achieves LEED AP Accredation

Suzan Globus, FASID, principal of Globus Design Associates, Red Bank, NJ, has earned the accreditation of LEED AP, Leader in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional.  LEED Professional Accreditation provides verification of individual expertise in the principles of green building design, construction, and operation.

LEED Professional Accreditation distinguishes building professionals with the knowledge and skills to successfully steward the LEED certification process. LEED Accredited Professionals (LEED APs) have demonstrated a thorough understanding of green building practices and principles and the LEED Rating System.  In addition, LEED Accredited Professionals help building owners achieve performance goals and facilitate the LEED Certification process. LEED APs are a critical link between LEED standards and professional practice.

The LEED for Commercial Interiors exam track provides a standard for professionals participating in the design and construction of high performance commercial spaces and tenant improvements that are healthy, productive places to work, are less costly to operate and maintain, and are environmentally responsible.