IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 10

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t the end of August, royce Epstein, Affiliate IIDA, LEED AP, announced that she was getting rid of all furniture binders in her firm’s resource library. “We need the space for materials,” she explains. Epstein is a resource specialist at the Philadelphia office of klingstubbins and has nearly 20 years of experience as a material researcher. With 53 designers in its interiors department alone, the firm’s library sees a lot of use. These days designers have little time to meet with product representatives—those are valuable billable hours. They also don’t count on receiving material samples overnight—neither designer nor manufacturer wants to pay for last-minute shipping anymore. As the design industry on the whole experiences accelerated project timelines and fee schedules, there’s not even much time for material research once a project gets underway. “I have to have [my library] very well stocked,” says Epstein. resource specialists like Epstein use everything at their disposal—from manufacturers’ Web sites to product blogs and trade shows—to keep colleagues up to date, but for designers without a staff member dedicated to research, who shoulders the fieldwork? Professionals today are faced with the dilemma of the digital age: too many resources to choose from, too few hours to understand them. They’re also bombarded by e-newsletters, print publications, and manufacturer literature touting the latest state-of-the-art and green products and materials. Everyone—from designers at large firms to individual practitioners and academic institutions—is looking for a way to better understand, and put to use, the wealth of high-tech and sustainable materials available today. material ConneXion pioneered the concept of materials consulting in 1997, when it launched a carefully curated library of innovative materials from around the world, with a roster of material scientists and experts to guide in their use. And with production of cutting-edge materials growing exponentially, the firm has expanded just as fast. To capitalize on the increase in manufacturing and building in Asia, the company will open its second korean

WALL CoVErInGS Products recently added to Material Connexion’s library include hexagonal aluminum honeycomb cast in customizable resin panels (left) and PVC-free wall covering (right) made with 30 percent postconsumer recycled content.

WhITEBoArD PAInT high-performance dry-erase IdeaPaint paint can turn walls, doors, and furniture into whiteboards.

Photography: Courtesy of material ConneXion

Photography: Courtesy of Inventables

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011

IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011
From IIDA
Contents
Q+A
Open Source
Power Tools
CEU Course
The Inside Picture
Social Network
Retaking Place
MythBusters
Design Decoded
Resources
Viewpoints
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - Cover2
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - From IIDA
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 2
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - Contents
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 4
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 5
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 6
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - Q+A
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - Open Source
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 9
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 10
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 11
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 12
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 13
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 14
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 15
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - Power Tools
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 17
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 18
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 19
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 20
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 21
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - CEU Course
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 23
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - The Inside Picture
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 25
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 26
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 27
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 28
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 29
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - Social Network
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 31
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 32
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 33
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - Retaking Place
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 35
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 36
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 37
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 38
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 39
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 40
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 41
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 42
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - MythBusters
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 44
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 45
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 46
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 47
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - Design Decoded
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 49
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 50
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 51
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 52
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 53
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - Resources
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - 55
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - Viewpoints
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - Cover3
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2011 - Cover4
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