A Letter to President Obama
from Interiors & Sources
As you take office, it is natural that your attention be focused on the economy and your first 100 days. However, as you and your family move into the White House, it is important to consider your home's effect on your family's health, safety and welfare. I'm writing on behalf of the nation's largest interior design organization, the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), and I'd like to offer help and advice from our 40,000 members. More

National Studies Show Green Building as Key Part of America’s Economic Future
from Sustainable Facility
Even as the dire financial news continues to dominate year-end headlines, a cascade of newly released studies and reports points to green building as one of the growing bright spots for the U.S. economy, the U.S. Green Building Council reports. In fact, as economic experts call for a recovery plan focused on green jobs and infrastructure, as consumers look to live in more economically sustainable homes, as businesses strive to cut operating costs, and as our national security needs depend on an end to reliance on foreign energy sources, green buildings’ ability to deliver solutions to these pressing challenges promises to change the way we view the building industry. More

Making Hospitals More Hospitable for Children and Their Families
from Contract Magazine
If you've ever had to stay in a hospital for any length of time, you know how challenging it can be to rest and recover in an environment that requires beeping equipment, bustling healthcare providers, and humming air ventilation systems, and that seems to support frequent overhead pages, loud conversations, and vocal sound congestion. Imagine what all that noise is like for a child trying to rest and recover. Fortunately, children staying at the University of Minnesota Children's Hospital, Fairview now have the opportunity to enjoy a quieter, calmer hospital stay as the hospital is the first in the country to benefit from an innovative model in the design of hospital rooms for pediatric patients who experience extended hospital stays. The design is intensely user-focused and is meant to transform the hospital experience for some of the most vulnerable patients in the healthcare system. More

Popular Hotels Begin Sustainability Initiative
from Earth911.com
One of the largest hotel management companies in the U.S., Crestline Hotels and Resorts, recently announced an expansive sustainability initiative to be implemented at all 70 of its hotels, resorts and conference centers. The company manages reputable hotel properties across the country, such as Marriott, Hilton, Westin and Wyndham hotels. More

Interior Designer: Knowing Clients' Likes is Key
from Laconia Citizen
ASID member Lorie Taylor says it's a common misconception that people can't afford to hire a designer or decorator. She maintains that she can work with any budget, large or small, and doesn't have a preference. As the owner of Lake Style Interiors, Taylor said, its has been her experience that if she works with a new homeowner to select colors while a home is being built there are no changes made after they move in. Meanwhile, if a homeowner makes the initial selections, the paint cans are usually out within a year. More

Builders Converge on Capitol Hill to Urge Housing Stimulus
from Nation’s Building News
Less than 24 hours after members of the 111th Congress were sworn into office, NAHB launched an all-out effort to make housing a centerpiece of the massive economic stimulus package that lawmakers are expected to complete by mid-February. More than 80 builders from across the country converged on Capitol Hill on Jan. 7 to meet with the congressional leadership and key members of the banking and tax writing committees to convey the message that a housing stimulus is urgently needed and that restoring demand for housing is the fastest and most effective way of reviving the economy. More

Ten Hot Trends in Home Design
from Styled, Staged & Sold
Contemporary touches are what home owners and buyers desire in 2009, according to a panelist of designers at a session on “Design Trends Marketplace” at the International Builder Show. Today’s minimalist design may mix straighter furniture elements, two different colors repeated throughout and a mix of fun, bold accessories or a traditional element. Indeed, contemporary architecture is even spreading to suburbia. Here are some of the common design trends growing in demand. More

Massachusetts Requires Hospitals to Employ Sustainable Design
from AIA
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health issued new environmental guidelines that went into effect January 1, requiring health-related institutions to use the Green Guide for Health Care™ (GGHC) or its equivalent in the design, construction, and renovation of facilities seeking the commonwealth’s Determination of Need approval. The new rules, approved last fall, are the first of their kind in the country. More