subject: Sustainability and design concepts [print this page] Sustainability and design concepts Sustainability and design concepts
Sustainability" has never been a buzzword. It has always meant real values in terms of health, costs, production criteria, and prevention of waste, as well as being environmentally friendly. The principles of sustainability are applied at all stages of a product's life cycle from production onwards. Recently, sustainability has also come to mean a lot to designers, providing a huge range of materials and design options. This concept means sustainable from manufacture through the product's life, all the way through to recycling re entry and closing the loop.
Sustainable design, explained
Sustainability derives from both environmental principles and a fundamental principle of industrial design. In a truly efficient design, there are no waste products. That concept means a lot more in recent times, when massive waste management issues affect the world, much industrial waste is toxic, and carbon emissions relative to production are important environmental considerations.
Sustainable design and cost benefits are actually measurable, using a method known as Ecometrics. It's like a cost benefit analysis, upgraded to manage a production process and product life. Ecometrics is a measure of energy and water intake, waste streams, greenhouse gas emissions and raw materials streams, to evaluate sustainable efficiency.
Sustainable flooring- Issues and concepts
The principle of sustainablecommercial floor coverings design is to achieve a series of goals:
Mission Zero- this means zero carbon footprint. Not easy, butpossible, and a lot of effort has gone into progressive development of sustainable products.
Climate neutral commercial processes- including transport, manufacturing, installation and maintenance
Water usage- All manufacturing processes use a lot of water, and savings to the community can be significant.
Power usage- Some production processes don't need to be hooked up to the grid. This reduces demand on energy production, and reduces the net cost of manufacturing.
Waste reduction- Creating recyclable products reduces the strain on waste management resources. Reusable products have excellent cost benefits, creating a secondary source of commercial materials.
Design and functionality with sustainable flooring
Functionality is a major issue in any primary design concept. Creative production efficiency and product performance are the drivers of design. The right design can ensure major environmental and cost benefits.
This is extremely efficient quality control by design. Modular carpet tiles, for example, represent a complete design concept including product life, carpet quality, maintenance, and a full cost structure for buyers. This is good business, as well as being environmentally responsible.
Choosing the sustainable design option
A sustainable carpet design concept can be tailored to meet any demand for quality, function, design criteria, environmental factors, and cost.
This applies to:
Retail carpet
Commercial grade carpet
Carpet squares
Custom design
Carpet flooring
Custom colour
Industrial carpet tiles
Carpet pattern
This is holistic design at its best, and the effect of designing the entire process, not just the product, is obvious. No waste, lower costs, better production methods, and therefore better products through better design. It's a winning combination.
