WASHINGTON, D.C.—Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) announced that the Arc performance platform is tracking 10 billion square feet of project space in 148 countries—an increase of nearly three billion square feet over the last 12 months. The growth demonstrates a rapidly increasing sustainability practice by companies and organizations to track and benchmark building performance to showcase their environmental and social responsibility efforts. Arc metrics also enable users to identify and address energy inefficiencies, ultimately reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating the impact of climate change. “Tracking and improving building performance is critical to decarbonize the built environment at the speed and scale...

IRVINE, CALIF.—Momentum Textiles & Wallcovering introduces its Digital Creations—a new offering allowing specifiers to create a one-of-a-kind wallcovering experience, choosing artwork from a stunning array of pieces by world-renowned artists, a collection curated by Momentum or even their own personal designs. Printed on-demand to fit any space, Digital Creations carries on the Momentum legacy of bringing together the world’s greatest artists, creators, and innovators to reimagine interiors and redefine what is possible. Digital Creations combine the timeless allure of art with the limitless potential of technology, enabling designers to turn spaces into experiences with unparalleled ease and creativity. The offering...

LONDON—Place III Hotels has announced the grand opening of its first luxury hotel, The BoTree. The hotel comprises 199 rooms including 30 suites as well as a destination restaurant and bar. One of the most anticipated launches of 2023, The BoTree captures the spirit of Marylebone’s “village life”. It reflects the allure of central London with its enchanting spaces and personalized service, while establishing Place III Hotels’ own form of luxury, Conscious Luxury. Rishi Sachdev, founder of Place III Hotels said, “As the first hotel within Place III Hotels, The BoTree combines uncompromising standards with a purpose-driven ethos embodying our core values of Truth, Love,...

SOLON, OHIO—Tarkett, a global leader in sustainable and innovative flooring solutions, is increasing its presence on the East Coast, thanks to the expansion of one of its distributors. Effective immediately, Michael Halebian & Co. will expand its footprint to the Philadelphia market area, which includes Delaware and portions of New Jersey. “We’re excited for the growth of our partners at Michael Halebian & Co.,” said Rusty Joyce, Commercial President at Tarkett North America. “They have been a tremendous partner committed to exceptional customer service, and we’re proud to expand our reach with them.” As a result of the expansion, Michael Halebian...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has introduced a draft of its LEED v5 Operations and Maintenance (O+M) rating system for existing buildings. LEED v5 is the newest version of LEED. It marks a transformative milestone in the built environment’s alignment with a low-carbon future and addresses critical imperatives such as equity, health, ecosystems, and resilience. The LEED rating system is the world’s preeminent green building certification system, with more than 100,000 projects certified globally. While the launch of LEED v5 begins with existing buildings, LEED v5 for Building Design and Construction (BD+C) will roll out in 2024. In conjunction with the...

NEW YORK—Boutique Design New York (BDNY), the leading trade fair and conference for hospitality’s boutique and lifestyle design community, returns to the Javits Center on November 12 to 13, 2023. This annual, high-energy event connects interior designers, architects, purchasing agents, hoteliers, owners, brands, and developers with innovative manufacturers of hospitality interior products for two days of networking, inspiration, and exclusive insight into today’s boutique and lifestyle hotel trends. BDNY’s bespoke, curated fair experience features more than 650 exhibitors that focus on a selection of exceptional product solutions for lodging, restaurants, wellness, spas, clubs, marine, and senior lifestyle interiors. As...

WALTHAM, MASS.—Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) will host a four-part webinar series this month describing the impacts of embodied carbon on building projects and exploring how the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry has responded to calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These complimentary learning sessions will feature SGH experts holding carbon-related discussions from varying angles, including overall sustainability concerns, building enclosure system design, structural material considerations, and fireproofing approaches. For decades, the industry has focused on lowering operational carbon in buildings by decreasing energy usage. However, experts now recognize the importance of reducing the embodied carbon in construction projects...

ATLANTA—Interface, Inc., the global flooring solutions company and sustainability leader, celebrates its inclusion in the TIME100 Most Influential Companies for 2023 list, which highlights 100 companies making an extraordinary impact around the world. Interface is the only flooring manufacturer recognized in the TIME100. To assemble the list, TIME solicited nominations from its global network of contributors, correspondents, and outside experts. TIME editors then evaluated each on key factors: impact, innovation, ambition, and success. The result is a diverse group of 100 businesses helping chart an essential path forward. The ‘Pioneer’ category featured Interface for its “climate-friendly flooring” and innovative product design approach, including...

NEW HAVEN, CONN.—When architect and developer Bruce Redman Becker envisioned the opportunity to create Hotel Marcel New Haven, Tapestry Collection by Hilton which opened in May 2022, he set an ambitious goal to achieve something no one else in the U.S. had ever done—to create a hotel that operated fully on renewable energy, without any use of fossil fuels. Today, that vision is now a reality and Hotel Marcel has also become the first Passive House-certified hotel in the country. The Passive House certification*, managed by Passive House Institute (PHI), is the only internationally recognized performance standard for air tightness and energy consumption,...

VIKEN, SWEDEN—Due to customer demand, Bjelin has released Medium-sized panels of hardened wood flooring in the U.S. Empowered by ground-breaking technologies, these Scandinavian-designed floors are developed and manufactured in Europe, sourcing premium, quality wood from the forests of Croatia. Bjelin released its latest 3.0 range earlier this year, with updated colors and technologies, and small half-size panels. The new size Medium, measuring 6” x 79”, sits between size Small and the wide XL and XXL planks, creating more flexibility for commercial projects. “We believe in the ability to adapt and optimize space,” said Hannes Lindblom, Sales & Marketing Director at Bjelin....