NEW YORK—Humanscale, a leading designer and manufacturer of ergonomic office products, has fully embraced the undertaking to create a net positive future through initiatives that go beyond sustainability and give back to the world. With a commitment to transparency, the company’s 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility Report details changes that reflect bold vision and inspiring leadership. Key Achievements: The first company to achieve full Living Product Challenge certification, meeting the stringent sustainability standards set by the International Living Future Institute, Humanscale offers two Living Products: the Diffrient Smart chair and Float table. The seal signifies that Humanscale’s manufacturing facility and the organization...

SEATTLE—Motif Seattle, A Destination Hotel, recently announced the unveiling of a comprehensive $10 Million guestroom redesign, led by Seattle-based architectural and interior design firm DEGEN & DEGEN. The makeover includes all 319 guestrooms of the design-driven boutique hotel, as well as enhancements to its corridors, giving the property a sleek urban style while maintaining a residential comfort. The fresh redesign is distinctive to the Seattle market, complete with striking art walls that serve as bold representations of the Seattle cultural scene and artwork all created by local artists. “Motif Seattle’s design aesthetic and ethos reflect this beautiful city, with thoughtful...

TORONTO—Du Verre Hardware has had the honor and privilege to work with Clodagh on three unique hardware collections: Primitive, Stacked and Tribal. The use of intelligent materials and natural elements imbue her projects with unmistakable warmth, beauty, structure and flow that appeals to all the senses and are clearly present in all three of her striking collections for Du Verre. The Primitive Collection—featuring a bold, geometric pattern that is a Signature Clodagh motif—is offered in Oil Rubbed Bronze, Polished Aluminum or Satin Nickel. Inspired by African weaving sticks translated into sleek and modern hardware the Tribal Collection comes in Antique...

BRADENTON, FLA.—Can the hotel building community learn green lessons from the residential building community? Of course. If you get a chance to visit a green home community, do it. This past weekend my family and I stopped by Mirabella in Bradenton, Fla. USGBC just awarded the owners of the 70 completed and occupied Mirabella homes LEED Platinum, the highest LEED designation. Mirabella currently has 37 homes under construction with 53 lots remaining, with plans to have those 90 properties also earn the same level of certification. What I noticed first when entering the model home was how quiet it was. Extra...

CHICAGO—The Olympia Companies, and SMART Hotels are bringing a luxury boutique hotel to the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. The 98-room SOPHY, to be managed by The Olympia Companies, will be located at the corner of 53rd Street and Dorchester Avenue in Chicago’s South Side and will feature a bar, restaurant with al fresco dining and fitness center. SOPHY is designed as a four-diamond luxury property and engineered to achieve LEED Silver certification and will be a preferred hotel of the University of Chicago. “Working closely with 5th Ward Alderman Leslie Hairston and the University of Chicago, we’re pleased to have the opportunity to...

DALTON, GA.—J+J Flooring Group recently introduced two new Kinetex products: Put a Cork in It and Tri-Plex. Both feature the human-centered properties for which Kinetex products are known, along with contemporary and appealing designs. This versatility offers unmatched flexibility for designers to create the commercial spaces they envision. Boasting a name that matches its clever and quirky design, Put a Cork in It is an approachable yet distinctive 24” x 24” tile. Multi-tonal cork-like flecks appear through 16 colorways creating a captivating pattern that brings an unexpected level of character and personality. Shifting, mottled specs of jade mix with tawny...

BROOKLYN, N.Y.—SG Blocks, Inc., a premier designer, innovator and fabricator of container-based structures, announced that Brian Adams has been named National Sales Director. In this role, Adams will work directly with Paul Galvin, Chairman and CEO, to develop and oversee the national and international sales strategy and its tactical implementation for SG Blocks. He will be based in Dallas. “As SG Blocks continues its rapid expansion, we are thrilled to welcome Brian, a prominent executive with over 30 years of experience, to the team,” stated Galvin. “His proven history of high level sales management across a variety of industries will...

HOPLAND, CALIF.—Danny Fetzer, owner of the Jeriko Estates Resort and Winery in Hopland, Calif., recently installed two redwood pergolas with Humboldt Redwood’s FSC certified redwood. The large one is outside the main tasting room, while the second is attached to one of the casitas located on the property. The entire property is surrounded by redwood forests, nearby lakes and the Mendocino Coast. Fetzer chose redwood because it’s durable, reliable and attractive; and also because it’s local and sustainable—sourced from the nearby FSC certified redwood forestlands. HRC grows more redwood trees each year than are harvested while protections are in place around...

SAN FRANCISCO—Bamboo and palm interior finishes manufacturer Smith & Fong announced the launch of Simla, a new hybrid panel derived from both coconut and sugar palm, according to company founder and CEO Dan Smith. “The history and culture of India offer wonderful inspiration for new designs and motifs in palm,” Smith said. “Simla is a colonial era hill station in the foothills of the Himalayas that functioned as the summer capital during British rule. It is today still sprinkled with lovely old wooden cottages from this period, and the design we have chosen is reminiscent of some of the weathered siding and...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) headquarters office is the first space in the world to achieve both Platinum Level Certification for the WELL Building Standard (WELL) under WELL v1 and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), under the LEED ID+C rating system—the highest recognition awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). The office space, designed by Perkins+Will, incorporates the most innovative health and wellness design features, and has sustainability as a central philosophy. “At ASID, we take tremendous pride in being a champion for good design and demonstrating that design...