Eco-Conscious Home Goes Beyond Green
from Inhabitat
The Kaplan Thompson house in Arlington, Va., recently became the state’s first LEED platinum home and simultaneously holds the honor of Best Single Family Residential Project from the Virginia Sustainable Building Network. In addition to its many green features, such as energy-saving technologies and exceptional indoor air quality, the home is located close to public transportation and is designed to produce zero water runoff, which contributes to the health of the nearby Chesapeake Bay. More

Student-Centric Residence Halls Offer Greater Control Over Environment, Social Interaction
from ArchNewsNow.com
Chicago-based Dirk Denison Architects (DDA) has released findings from a year-long study that it undertook in developing the program for two new student residence halls designed as additions to the McCormick Student Village (MSV) on the campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology. In addition to gathering input from current and past MSV residents, undergraduate and graduate students, and campus staff, the study included extensive research analyzing 35 student residence halls built in the previous five years across the country, including factors such as construction costs, student amenities, square footage per student, and environmentally responsible design, culminating in a benchmarking document outlining best practices in student housing. The resulting design not only provides students with a greater range of options for living and socializing, but also incorporates innovative, smart-technology sustainable design strategies. More

Design Firms Slash IT Spending in 2009
from Interiors & Sources
More than half of architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms (55 percent) are budgeting less for information technology in 2009 than they did in 2008, according to a new report from ZweigWhite. The median IT budget per employee for 2009 is $4,545, which is down 5 percent from the 10-year high that it reached in 2008. At firms that plan to decrease spending this year, the area of IT that is projected to take the biggest hit is CADD systems. More

Governor Proclaims Interior Design Week in Illinois
from Interior Design
It's official: the week of NeoCon World's Trade Fair is now Interior Design Week in Illinois following a proclamation from the state's governor, Pat Quinn. Quinn designated the week of June 15 through 22 in honor of the interior design profession and the nearly 1,600 registered interior designers practicing in the Prairie State. More

Top 10 Reasons Baby Boomers Want to Stay in Their Home as They Age
from CareCrunch
Health, safety and quality of life top the list of concerns that have baby boomers thinking about staying in their homes as they age. Those environments will need modification to support the products, technologies and personal assistance that changes in function and lifestyle will require. More

BIFMA Launches "level" Certification Program for Furniture Sustainability Standard
from Contract Magazine
BIFMA International, the trade association for the commercial furniture industry, has announced the premier of the product certification program, level™. Level will verify conformance to the first fully transparent, multi-attribute furniture sustainability standard addressing material utilization, energy and atmosphere impacts, human and ecosystem health and social responsibility. Manufacturers evaluating products to the BIFMA e3 sustainability standard and undergoing an independent, third-party certification process can achieve the level conformance mark. More

Geography-inspired Interior Design "Taking Over"
from mydeco
Wallpaper, plates and cushions are just a few of the household items that can increasingly be seen sporting designs based on maps. That is according to Home Shopping Spy, the interior trends blog by Ideal Home, which suggested that geography is 'finally cool'. More

Credit Likely to Remain Tight for Builders
from Builder
Unfortunately for builders, the current tight credit situation is likely to continue into 2010, according to experts interviewed by BUILDER magazine in recent weeks. The reasons are myriad: a struggling economy, capital pressures, consumer credit problems, banking consolidation, and regulatory and accounting uncertainties, and of course, falling home prices. More

Seventy-four Awards Distributed in the Best of NeoCon® 2009 Competition
from Contract Magazine
Seventy-four awards were distributed in the Best of NeoCon® 2009 competition of contract furnishing products during NeoCon® at the Merchandise Mart. Five Innovation Awards and a Best of Competition Award also were selected. More

Green Practices Gain Ground, Benchmarking Study Shows
from FacilitiesNet
Results from the most recent IFMA Operations and Maintenance benchmarking study indicate that green building practices are becoming the norm in most facilities. Of the 1,142 facilities surveyed, only 11 percent report managing buildings with no green elements or certification, with 28 percent reporting one or more certified buildings and 61 percent saying their buildings contain green elements but are not certified. Additionally, more than four out of five businesses now utilize recycling programs, and 62 percent use green cleaning supplies in their facilities. More