MONTREAL—Arborite, a manufacturer of high pressure laminate, and Wilsonart, a leading manufacturer of decorative engineered surfaces for more than 50 years, announced their combined sponsorship at the platinum level of the Save a Sample! program. Save a Sample! provides a second life for unused brochures, samples, fabrics, and finish cards by delivering them to design schools and students for use in their projects and design work. Arborite and Wilsonart’s combined platinum level sponsorship aids Save a Sample! in its mission to continue to help budding designers as well as the environment.“Arborite and Wilsonart, as companies on the cutting edge...

CHICAGO—The Olympia Companies and SMART Hotels LLC announced that Hyatt Place Chicago-South/University Medical Center in Chicago’s iconic Hyde Park neighborhood has been awarded LEED Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in the New Construction category. The hotel is the first Hyatt Place in the world to be LEED Gold certified. The property was designed by Legat Architects, one of the leading green design firms in the Midwest, and built by William A. Randolph Construction Co. The Olympia Companies, an innovative privately-owned real estate company specializing in hotel investment, development and management, partnered with SMART Hotels LLC...

NEW YORK—DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) is bringing its Specify With Care (SWC) cause-related marketing program on the road this fall. The initiative invites companies to donate a percentage of sales from designated collections to benefit DIFFA in its fight against HIV/AIDS. Specify With Care affiliate products will be displayed at both NeoCon East in Philadelphia (October 28 to 29, Booth #100-A) and BDNY in New York City (November 8 to 9, Booth #178). Current participating affiliates include Blanco, Bolon, Ege, Maya Romanoff, Laufen and Wolf Gordon. DIFFA Executive Director Johanna Osburn, comments, “Specify With Care...

DALTON, GA.—Recognizing the importance of education, Tandus Centiva, a Tarkett company, Suzanne Tick Inc. and Antron Carpet Fiber, have teamed up to support the Publicolor Summer Design Studio. The Summer Design Studio is an innovative work-study program that utilizes a non-traditional curriculum emphasizing tactile learning experiences. The combination of project-based learning, community service and paid work opportunities provide a compilation of meaningful summer activities for youth who otherwise would be idle when the school year ends in June.The Tandus Centiva, Suzanne Tick Inc., and Antron Carpet Fiber collections contribute up to $0.30 cents per square yard to the Publicolor...

NEW YORK—Designtex’s new Shibori Collection is inspired by the Ancient Japanese tie-dyeing technique of the same name. This collection brings colorways derived from the pigments of natural dyes and handmade paper for a fresh take on a Japanese tradition. The digital printing for this collection is done at Designtex’s Surface Imaging facility in Portland, Maine that is comprised of a team of artists, craftspeople and technologists.Shibori Flower wallcoverings are designed in three different scales and can be used individually or together to create a unique wallcovering installation. In Shibori Flower Small and Shibori Flower Medium, the central motif of...

KALAMAZOO, MICH.—Landscape Forms announces the addition of two new products to its successful Chipman line, part of the company’s Terrace Life group of lifestyle furnishings for terraces, rooftop gardens and other private and protected spaces. The new Chipman stool and standing height table, like the IDEA award winning Chipman chair and companion dining and lounge tables, showcase landscape architect Robert Chipman’s deft hand at sculptural form.“These new products build on the immediate success of the original Chipman chairs and tables and give us entre into new kinds of spaces and applications,” says Kirt Martin, Vice President of Design and...

LOS ANGELES—Resource Furniture, named Best in Show for Furniture by ASID Los Angeles at WestEdge Design Fair 2014, will once again unveil their latest offerings at the show. From October 22 to 25 at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, Calif., WestEdge visitors will be the first to see the latest additions to the Resource Furniture collection of indoor and now outdoor furniture while experiencing Norwegian landscapes through the Nature wallcovering collection.Along with the Nature line of wallcoverings, new items to be unveiled include the Plurimo uniquely transforming table and Goliath Outdoor expanding dining table. In addition, Resource Furniture...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently reached a significant milestone in bringing the building community together by releasing a common definition of a zero energy building, or what is also referred to as a “net zero energy” or “zero net energy” building.After leading an extensive stakeholder engagement process over the past year and a half, the Energy Department released its findings in the recently published “A Common Definition of Zero Energy Buildings,” which states that a Zero Energy Building is “an energy-efficient building where, on a source energy basis, the actual annual delivered energy is less than...

ATLANTA—Nichiha USA, a manufacturer of residential fiber cement siding and architectural wall panels, introduces RoughSawn panels, part of the company’s Wood Series line. The cladding’s rough-around-the-edges texture and earthy, weathered colors emulate the look and feel of aged barn wood. The effect is ideal for achieving a vintage or rustic look for commercial and residential projects while maintaining modern performance and durability.“Reclaimed wood is one of the industry’s hottest design trends, and our new RoughSawn line delivers that rugged look without the associated hassles or cost,” says Michael Cobb, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “Along with its handsome...

SAVANNAH, GA.—Green Badger has released it latest software version, which includes functionality for LEED v4—the latest green building system update from the USGBC and much more. While LEED version 4 is the largest new feature, additional functionality includes credit-specific documentation guidance, activity tracking by project, report customization, and enhanced site inspection capabilities. Since Green Badger’s introduction in fall 2013, widespread adoption within the A/E/C industry has occurred, with seven of the 10 largest green general contractors now using the software solution for LEED and green building documentation. With its easy and convenient functionality to automate and document LEED credits,...