1. Let the Light
In According the Peter Pfeiffer, a principal with Barley
& Pfeiffer in Austin, every choice made in a kitchen has
potential impact on indoor air quality, energy use, and durability.
So he encourages builders to think about how to use products that
reduce the need for artificial light. “Lighting consumes energy and
produces heat. In most cases we want to discourage xenon or halogen,
where 95% of it comes out as heat. It’s so important that you are
prudent with lighting. With LEDs and CFLs you can reduce AC load by
as much as a ¼ or ½ ton.”
Finishes impact that energy use as well. Black
granite or dark-colored cabinets or flooring, soak up the light and
cause users to turn up lighting so they can see the celery they are
dicing. Pfeiffer suggests you encourage buyers to stick to lighter
colors in the kitchen so light use will remain at a minimum.
Green award-winning Pringle Creek in Salem,
Ore., boasts kitchens that use tons of natural light to keep
kitchens functional and energy-wise. “Our goal was to maximize light
and space,” says Mark Kogut, project architect for Opsis
Architecture. “Windows and using patio door with window in it to
bring in as much light as possible.”
Kogut also notes that kitchens should have as
many operable windows so ventilation can keep the space cool and
vent cooking odors. “The lighter and brighter materials we used
minimized our need for artificial lighting and our strategic
placement of lights over counters to maximize task lighting in the
evenings and the winter reduces energy use.”
2. Consider New Counter
Materials A great choice for countertop materials is IceStone. Made from 75 percent recycled
glass and shells, bound with cement, this materials performs
comparably to granite. The shimmering glass pieces actually brighten
a space, especially when colors like Snow Flurry in the company’s
new Refined collection or Sage Pearl, which is popular in the
Classic collection. The product is the only Cradle to Cradle
Certified durable surface by MBDC (see Mbdc.com for information on their
third-party certification program), and contains no epoxy or
petrochemicals, so there is no off-gassing.
There are innumerable other countertop options
to chose from, and in places where locally quarried stone is
available, the case can be made that stone’s durability and lack of
transportation costs make it an appropriate green choice. Other
products, like paper-based fiber composite PaperStone (Paperstone.com) or the terrazzo product
EnviroGLAS (www.enviroglasproducts.com), are also standouts, but you
should do your homework to determine whether these products are
right for your homes and buyers.
Susan Serra, CKD, owner of Susan Serra
Associates, a Northport, N.Y.–based interior designer, agrees that
countertops can be a bit tricky because of the wide array of
choices. “When you are dealing with manufactured countertops, the
best thing to do is to get as big a sample of it as you can—ideally
a 12” by 12” piece—and test it. Leave wine, coffee, and vinegar on
it for 24 hours, wipe it off the next day and see what you see. That
really tells the story.”
Serra notes that the new manufactured
countertops go well with the modern kitchens that more consumers are
gravitating toward. But old-school clients may still want to stick
with marbles and granites. Your best bet is to find local sources
for them.
3. Always Offer Green
Cabinets An area of the kitchen that has moved more
slowly into the green finishes category in terms of consumer
acceptance is cabinetry.
Neil Kelly of Portland, Ore., was the first
green certified cabinetmaker in the United States. All the company’s
cabinets are made from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified
wood manufactured with water-based. “Number one, there is no added
urea formaldehyde in our cabinets, which is a huge distinguisher
from other cabinet makers, says company CEO Tom Kelly. When the
company doesn’t use solid wood, it relies on Columbia Forest
Product’s (www.columbiaforestproducts.com) PureBond, which Kelly
refers to as the Holy Grail of green engineered products. In a
nutshell, PureBond uses a soy-based binder and can be used in
cabinets or as paneling or in flooring.
Serra got so excited about a collection of
high-end furniture grade cabinets she designed with that she became
the U.S. rep for the Denmark-based manufacturer of them (Hansenliving.com). Her argument about
the embodied energy of shipping from Denmark? “This is 100 percent
eco-friendly furniture—not 20 percent or 50 percent—the adhesives
are water based and the factory process produces little waste, which
is documented,” she says.
But more important, she thinks, is that
because the hardwood cabinets are beautifully designed by an
architect, they will be kept forever, unlike cabinets today that are
yanked out after just 20 years. “It is a solid wood with natural
finishes that you can sandpaper and re-oil. People will collect this
like they do furniture,” she predicts.
4. Get in the Green Ground
Floor The floor is another area of the kitchen where
green choices abound. While bamboo and cork became big hits quickly,
research where the bamboo comes from for each manufacturer you are
considering using, and study issues of durability. Not all flooring
products are made alike or come from the same sources. And cork,
though comfortable on the feet and renewable, needs to be assessed
for its durability. Read company literature to ensure it will hold
up as long as wood floors or linoleum.
Because so many consumers are fans of wood
floors, builders should look for locally reclaimed wood floors. Or,
if new wood floors are required, make sure the wood is harvested
from a domestic source to reduce embodied energy costs, and make
sure the wood is from a FSC-certified forest, which essentially
ensures that foresters maintain sustainable growing and culling
practices.
Laminate wood flooring, or engineered
flooring, uses younger trees in a process that yields a tough floor
that has a plywood base and prefinished wood top, so it is also a
good choice, provided no- or low-VOC products are used in its
manufacture.
And don’t forget good-old laminate flooring.
It’s made from linseed oil and other natural materials. A
high-design option is Forbo’s Marmoleum, which gives builders many
options for modern and even traditional kitchens. “You can do some
elegant design with Marmoleum,” says Serra. “It doesn’t always have
to be informal and funky.”
5. Be Water Smart Water
conservation is a large part of the kitchen, so be sure to offer
low-flow faucets or even the touchless faucets, which are becoming
popular with consumers. Nearly every manufacturer has a low-flow
option for the kitchen and innovative Web offerings that can help
you spec the right products. Kohler, as an example, just launched a
web-based resource for trade professionals Kohler.com/pro.
The new password-protected Web site serves
plumbers, contractors, architect/designers, builders, remodelers,
and countertop installers. Users from each trade group receive
customized information from Kohler based on their indicated areas of
interest. After logging in, site visitors can search for product
information, create folders to keep individual projects organized,
and store this information on the site for future access.
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