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Universal Design Finally Gets Its Due
from Kitchen & Bath Design News
 Looking over the changes in the kitchen and bath industry in the past 10 years, or even the past two years, one thing is clear: Design is fluid. Indeed, the creative nature of the field almost demands that today’s trends will be ever-changing and evolving, as consumers and design professionals continue to pursue “the next big thing.”
So what is the “next big thing?” While it’s been widely debated, more and more people are betting on Universal Design as the “green” of the future.
More 
"Lifestyle" Replaces "Luxury" as Hotels Rebrand to Lure Travelers
from Hospitality Net
Now that luxury is a bad word, hotels everywhere are scrambling to find ways to reinvent themselves without spending a whack of money. The quick fix? Simply delete all references to “luxury” in marketing materials and replace them with “lifestyle”. Magically, the hotel’s image transforms from visions of champagne baths and gold-plated toilet seats to a holistic experience involving discovery, connecting and environmental responsibility. More
Demand Growing for Smaller, More Efficient Homes
from Custom Home Online
According to The American Institute of Architects' (AIA) first quarter 2009 "Home Design Trends Survey," demand for less living space and overall smaller-sized homes has increased in recent years. Homeowners also are showing a greater preference for lower ceilings and fewer two-story foyers than in past years. More
A Message from ASID
What Is Your Essential "Thing"?
ASID ICON Wants to Know!
Every issue of ASID ICON features a new "Needful Things" page, profiling a member; along with something that inspires that member in their design work, something they love or would love to use in a project. It can be a particular product or manufacturer that you always use or that has influenced your style, a color palette, a place or time period, an artist or other thinker, etc. Anything that is indispensable to your design! (See pg. 48 of the January/February 2009 issue of ASID ICON.)
If you would like to be featured, please e-mail icon@asid.org and include:
1. Your name and firm name
2. A short description of your "needful thing": why you chose it, what it means to you, how it's affected your design philosophy, etc. (about 50 words)
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Wallpaper Making a Comeback in Home Design -- Bigger, Better, Bolder
from Memphis Commercial Appeal
To say that wallpaper is making a comeback is a definite understatement. In the space of a few years, it's gone from stodgy and weak to totally chic. Adorned with everything from glass beads to mirrored tiles to tiny Swarovski crystals, today's papers are artistic, innovative and fun. More
Omega Center for Sustainable Living Opens in Upstate New York
from Inhabitat
On track to become the first green building to achieve both LEED Platinum and Living Building Challenge Certification, the Omega Center for Sustainable Living (OSCL) embodies the synthesis of wastewater recycling, clean energy, and eco-friendly architecture. The state-of-the art environmental education and water reclamation facility in Rhinebeck, New York serves as a teaching tool to educate visitors on Omega’s ongoing environmental initiatives, including innovative wastewater strategies More
BIM Adoption Rate Exceeds 80 Percent Among Nation’s Largest AEC Firms
from Building Design & COnstruction
The nation’s largest architecture, engineering, and construction companies are on the BIM bandwagon in a big way, according to Building Design+Construction’s first annual Top 170 BIM Adopters ranking. Of the 320 AEC firms that participated in Giants survey, 83% report having at least one BIM seat license in house. Design firms are the biggest adopters of BIM, representing 48 of the top 50. More
Sustainable Sofas Herald the Green Furniture Wave
from Earth Times
Sofas made of recyclable material, garden furniture crafted from local wood and wine glasses from old bottles - manufacturers are falling over each other to bring out products stamped "sustainable."Only a few months ago it was the preserve of upmarket designer labels to emphasize the ecological soundness of their products, but now it is the turn of the lower-priced makers to slot green products into their range. More
Rice Concrete Can Cut Greenhouse Emissions
from MSNBC
The world's penchant for consuming concrete is a huge problem for climate change. Worldwide, cement production accounts for about 5 percent of all CO2 emissions related to human activity. Now, a team of researchers have figured out a way to make nearly carbon-free rice husk ash. The team speculates that rice husk ash could enhance performance by replacing up to 20 percent of the cement typically mixed into concrete in the construction of skyscrapers, bridges and any structure built on or near water, while limiting carbon dioxide emissions. More
Oregon Office Building Earns Highest Green Globes Rating
from Interiors & Sources
Columbia Square, a 313,000-square-foot office building and flagship property in the Melvin Mark Companies real estate portfolio, has been awarded 4 Globes by the Green Building Initiative (GBI) for achievements in green design and sustainable operations. The building was rated under the Green Globes environmental design and assessment tool and the 4 Globes designation is the highest possible rating. More
PRODUCT SHOWCASE:
More ways to be LEED efficient and accumulate points
Prime quality Duro-design Cork and Bamboo flooring are environmentally friendly renewable resources as they are harvested with minimum impact on nature. They not only contribute to add beauty, design and value to your trendy projects.
They contribute to:
LEED 2.0 MR Credit 6
LEED 2.0 EQ Credit 4.01
The only Cork and Bamboo flooring available in 54 colors! More info
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PRODUCT SHOWCASE:
StonePeak Ceramics' Limestone Series
Subtle organic beauty marks StonePeak's unglazed porcelain limestone. This line features the through-body color variations and dimensionality of real limestone, while delivering precisely squared corners and greater durability than natural stone. And like real limestone, no two StonePeak limestone tiles are alike. This series comes with a full range of complementary trims including bull nose, bull nose corners, cove base, cove base corners, stair tread, counter rail with corner piece and quarter round. Limestone is ideally matched for commercial and residential settings such as hotels, hospitals, airports, shopping malls, libraries, and in residential flooring, walls, patios, walkways and more.
More info
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PRODUCT SHOWCASE:
BRADLEY'S FUSION® PARTITIONS PROVIDE UPSCALE STYLE
Bradley's Fusion® restroom partitions combine cool stainless steel with the warmth of natural granite for an impressive and elegant finish in high-end restroom applications. Featuring genuine granite pilasters and partition panels with stainless steel (or optional baked enamel) doors, Fusion partitions add to Bradley's 'decorative high-end commercial' restroom products. More info
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PRODUCT SHOWCASE:
ECO™ by Cosentino
ECO™ by Cosentino announces it has been awarded silver level Cradle to Cradle Certification and has been recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council for contributing towards five to nine credits in the LEED certification system. ECO™ by Cosentino is an innovative new line of eco-friendly countertop and surfacing material composed of 75% recycled material. For more information visit www.ecobycosentino.com
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DuroDesign Inc.
