Interior Design News On 05/16/2008
Posted by Design Your Life on
May 15, 2008
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UCO interior design students fashion furniture from trash
University of Central Oklahoma interior design students currently are displaying benches, tables and chairs they created from trash for their custom furniture class in the basement of Evans Hall on the UCO campus.
Students were required to work in teams and were allowed to use any discarded materials they could find to construct their piece. They picked through construction sites, garages and even employer’s trash bins to find suitable materials creating such unique pieces as a patio table made from roof flashing and discarded wine bottles to an upholstered bench built from downed tree limbs and scrap wood.
“We give this assignment each year in this class as a way to familiarize students with the concepts of green design and sustainability,” said UCO design professor Amy Jacobson-Peters.
“We need students to think about the materials they use and have an awareness of how they impact the environment.”
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Sustainable Interior Design Products and Homes Show Growth
According to the study, Greener Pastures for America’s Homebuilders? A Survey of Sustainable Practices by the Homebuilding Industry, by the Calvert Group and the Boston College Institute for Responsible Investment, homes account for about 18% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.
Eco-conscious Americans are turning to green products and growth rates between 17% and 23% imply a significant change in the building materials industry. For those leaning towards green, but unsure how to proceed a visit the Smart Home: Green + Wired, Powered by ComEd and Warmed by Peoples Gas exhibit at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry could provide direction.
