FEATURES
January 2008
ISLAND WOOD
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND,
WASHINGTON
STRATUS VINEYARDS
NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE,
ONTARIO
U.S. CENSUS
BUREAU
SUITLAND, MARYLAND
See articles for project photo credits; additional images, Evelyn Dilworth
NAVY FEDERAL
CREDIT UNION
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA
ECO-SUITE
TORONTO
The 2007 IIDA/Metropolis Smart Environments award winners may, once and for all,
blow apart the widely held belief that clients
don’t care about green design. These clients
specifically wanted buildings and interiors
that would be good for their workers’ health
and well-being—and, incidentally, their bottom lines. These five spaces represent such
diverse interests as the U.S. government,
a condo developer, a viticulturist, a nonprofit, and a nature preserve. It turns out
that being kind to your people (or, in the case
of the winery, to your grapes) is also kind to
the earth. The idea that interior designers
and architects have trouble collaborating
is also going out of style. To do top-notch
green design, all kinds of skills are needed.
You may also note that there’s almost no
sustainable ideology in these stories; these
designers are too busy finding earth-friendly
solutions to spend their time preaching. And
it turns out that minimalism may be good
for the environment too: you buy less stuff,
and what you choose is carefully considered
in terms of manufacturing, materials, local
availability, and, of course, beauty, function,
and performance. –Susan S. Szenasy
