Design Gems

Design Gems

Phone/Fax: (619) 795-3664 | Email

Resources

The following are websites containing useful information relating to the profession of interior design and related topics. You will find that many of them are specifically related to what is called "green design", which is a topic about which I am very passionate. To learn more about green design, read about it here, or click on the green topic listings below.

Professional Organizations

Green Building & Design Topics

    Contains articles on environmentally responsible building development, including materials and energy use
  • www.greenerbuildings.com

  • Get a succinct overview of what a green building encompasses
  • www.greenbiz.com

  • Portland's sustainable development website containing advice for both commercial and residential applications and reasons for building green
  • www.green-rated.org

  • The Healthy Building Network presents information advocating environmental health in all aspects of life
  • www.healthybuilding.net

Green Building Materials & Products

    Manufacturers of the recycled glass terrazzo slab countertops called Vetrazzo
  • www.counterproduction.com

  • Uses recycled aluminum shavings in various colored resins to fabricate a gorgeous solid surface material
  • www.alkemi.com

  • Sustainable office furniture using wheat-based fiberboard
  • www.baltix.com

Green Business News

  • U.S. Green Building Council

  • Excellent source of articles and resources covering a wide variety of business types, related environmental topics, and their financial impact
  • GreenBiz.com

  • News and case studies for green business practices
  • ClimateBiz

Sustainability Activists and Organizations

    A national organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the natural environment
  • The Sierra Club

  • William McDonough is one of the leading sustainable design architects in the US, and consults with manufacturers in the development of green products. He is also the author of the book Cradle-To-Cradle, which describes the ideal life cycle of any product as being either completely and indefinitely reusable or its “disposal” being actually beneficial to the environment.
  • McDonough Partners

  • Read more about material lifecycle theory here, at the website of GreenBlue, a “non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and developing cradle-to-cradle principles and methods”
  • Green Blue

Green Building Resources for Designers

    The Green Build Expo is a nationwide industry fair including seminars on various green design topics and the environment, an impressive exhibition of manufacturer’s representatives with green products, and guest speakers sharing stories of inspiring green projects
  • The Green Build Expo

  • An on-line assessment tool for analyzing the greenness of existing commercial buildings and integrating green principles into potential projects
  • Green Globes

  • Building Green

© 2005 Elena L. Rivellino.