Tag Archives: sustainable building materials

September 20th at #KBtribechat – Kitchens Designed for Wellness

The KBtribechat questions:

1.)  There are many ways to design with wellness in mind, from open-concept kitchens that encourage family interaction and food prep to proper lighting. What does the wellness trend mean to you?

2.) Consumers are becoming more conscious of not just their own health, but the health of the planet.  Using sustainable building materials is more prevalent than ever before. How do you incorporate sustainable materials/elements into your designs?

3.) Your kitchen should serve as a retreat, not a pressure cooker. What tips do you have for streamlining design to avoid clutter and promote minimalism?

4.) An ideal Wellness Kitchen should be easy to maintain, user friendly for all ages and logically planned. Share your favorite Wellness Kitchen design and tell us why you love it.

5.) What wellness related products and ideas have you discovered lately?

6.) How would a kitchen design change if your client is focused on a wellness lifestyle?

7.)  Can a healthy kitchen design influence the food you consume? How can a well appointed kitchen promote healthy eating habits?

8.) How can we reduce waste in the kitchen?

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April 20 at #KBtribechat –  An Earth Day Conversation

Sponsored and Hosted by Beko

Co-Hosted by Beko Healthy Kitchen Council member Suzanne Felber

Our KBtribechat questions:
  1. What does it mean to be living sustainably through design?
  2. Do designers have a responsibility to advise clients on the environmental impact of products in their homes?
  3. How can we inspire more clients to choose sustainable appliances when designing/building their homes?
  4. In what way can major appliance brands become more sustainable in the near future?
  5. What environmentally-friendly designs have you implemented recently? Show us your work!
  6. We always have New Years resolutions, so let’s make some for Earth Day! What are some of your Earth Day resolutions for this year?

Join this Twitter discussion

by adding #KBtribechat to your tweets!

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Whirlpool Corporation to Lead #KBtribechat Discussion on Today’s New Home Building & Design Trends

New construction homes have become an increasingly attractive option to potential buyers across generations, with 60% of buyers preferring a newly built home over an existing one, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) What Home Buyers Really Want report. What trends are driving the way newly built homes are built and designed?

Join Whirlpool Corporation (@WhirlpoolCorp) on Wednesday, October 6, as the company plays host to a KBTribeChat focused on the latest trends in new construction. Chat participants will discuss how these homes are designed, as well as must-have features, generational preferences, and more.

Building industry professionals can count on Whirlpool Corporation, the world’s leading kitchen and laundry appliance company, to provide innovative solutions that address the evolving needs of their customers. Whirlpool’s diverse portfolio of brands offers thoughtfully designed appliances that grow along with homeowners – no matter how their preferences or lifestyles may evolve.

Save the date for 2 p.m. ET Wednesday, October 6 to participate in the chat.

Here is an advance look at our KBtribechat questions:

  1. What are some must-have features among new construction homes?
  2. How are generational preferences influencing home building and design?
  3. How is sustainability expected to play a role when it comes to new home building?
  4. Awareness of health and wellness has risen in the last year. How has this influenced what people want in new homes?
  5. What home design trends are likely to be most in demand into 2022?
Drone Aerial View of Home Construction Site Foundations and Framing.

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April 21 at #KBtribechat – An #EarthDay Conversation

Our KBtribechat questions:

1.) How can we make daily choices that reduce our negative impact on the environment?

2.) Why is it important to protect the Earth?

3.) Is zero waste attainable? Share tips to help reduce waste.

4.) What home building and design trends have helped make homes more sustainable?

5.) How can smart/connected products help homeowners save energy and water?

6. ) How are you incorporating environmentally-driven solutions into your projects?

Join this Twitter discussion

at 2pm ET on Wednesday, April 21

by adding #KBtribechat to your tweets!

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May 8 at #KBtribechat – Designing With Health in Mind

A design discussion.

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We will be pinning to our Healthy Kitchens and Baths group Pinterest Board.

Our KBtribechat questions:

Q1.) In the design process, what details do you focus on when designing with health and safety in mind? Please share solutions you like!

Healthy material choices not only affect indoor air quality but it’s important to know how they affect the environment and if they are made from renewal resources .

Q2.) Are your clients asking for sustainable (healthy for the earth) and healthy products and design choices? Do these healthy building materials and design choices cost more?

Q3.) How can technology help us address health and safety concerns in the kitchen? What about in bathrooms?

Q4.) What features can help the end user make healthy choices in the kitchen?

Q5.) What features can offer healthful benefits in the bathroom?

Q6.) Do you take ergonomic principles into consideration when designing kitchens or bathrooms? Does this include the reasoning behind cabinet pull-outs and other cabinet features?  What about appliance considerations?

Q7.) In what ways can we plan for client safety in the kitchen and bath spaces we design? Please share important tips for designing spaces that work for all stages of life.

The reduction of clutter in our homes has not only been shown to reduce stress but simplification is a current design trend. How does this apply to designing healthy kitchens and bathrooms? 

Q8.) What are your go to design tips for reducing clutter in kitchens?

Q9.) What are your go to design tips for reducing clutter in bathrooms?

Share pictures of designs and ideas you like!

Join this Twitter Chat conversation

on Wednesday, May 8

from 2 to 3pm eastern time

by adding #KBtribechat to your tweets!

Here’s a link to read the transcript for this KBtribechat.

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Building a Sustainable Future: Earth Day-themed #KBTribeChat

A design discussion

Sponsored and Hosted by Whirlpool Corporation

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Whirlpool Corporation is inviting kitchen and bath professionals to a special Earth Day-themed #KBTribeChat about sustainability in our industry.

With the growing demand for greater sustainability from consumers, it’s more important than ever for building and design professionals to incorporate eco-friendly and energy-efficient products and features into their projects.

For example, a new, global survey from Whirlpool Corporation showed that consumers favor appliances that help them decrease their environmental footprint:

  • Three in four respondents (74%) are interested in smart appliance features that reduce food waste
  • Three in four respondents (75%) are interested in smart appliance features that manage water usage
  • Two in three respondents (64%) say it’s important that their appliances help save on electricity costs

Across its portfolio of brands, Whirlpool Corporation offers high-performing appliances that conserve the earth’s resources and help homeowners do the same. The company continually monitors the environmental effects of its business, not only by creating many new and innovative products that consume less water and energy, but also by improving its manufacturing and distribution processes, and using materials that minimize the impact on the planet.

Join us at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 24 as we discuss sustainability in the kitchen and bath industry.

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Here are our chat questions:

1. What home building and design trends have helped make homes more sustainable?
2. What products do you find to be most eco-friendly and energy-saving for the kitchen?
3. Are you seeing a demand for sustainable laundry appliances? Explain.
4. How can smart/connected products help homeowners save energy and water?
5. How are you incorporating environmentally-driven solutions into your projects?

 

Homes-Energy-Efficient Dryers

This photo provided by Whirlpool shows the Whirlpool Duet Front Load ENERGY STAR laundry pair, including the HybridCare Dryer, in a laundry room. For the first time in six years, Energy Star certification, a widely respected seal of approval for energy efficiency, has been expanded to include a new major household appliance. Dryers, perhaps the last of the major household appliances to be included in the Environmental Protection Agency’s program, will be available in 45 Energy Star models throughout the country starting Presidents’ Day weekend, according to the EPA. (AP Photo/Whirlpool)

 

Join this Twitter Chat Conversation

on Wednesday, April 24

from 2 to 3pm eastern time

by adding #KBtribechat to your tweets!

Here is a link to read the transcript for this KBtribechat.

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April 19 at #KBtribechat – A Sustainability Discussion in celebration of Earth Day

A kitchen and bath industry conversation!

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This week we will be pinning to our Earth Day group pinterest board, a compilation of favorite sustainable and green designs and products. Let us know if you’d like to be added to the board!

Our KBtribechat questions:

1.) What eco/green/sustainable building tips do you suggest for kitchens and baths?

2.) How can we make kitchens and bathrooms more energy efficient?

3.) What remodeling choices affect indoor air quality? Please share good solutions.

4.) What user habits in the kitchen or bath can help with environmental responsibility?

5.) What eco-friendly products are on your list which can reduce the impact of construction on the environment?

Join this Twitter Chat discussion

on Wednesday, April 19

from 2 to 3pm eastern time

by adding #KBtribechat to your tweets!

Here’s the transcript for this #KBtribechat.

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February 10th at #KBtribechat: “Healthy” Kitchens and Baths

A design discussion!

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The KBtribechat questions:

Q1.) Do you still use the words “green” and “sustainable”? If not, what has replaced this terminology?

Healthy material choices not only affect indoor air quality but it’s important to know how they affect the environment and if they are made from renewal resources .

Q2.) What are your go to healthy material choices for the kitchen or bathroom? Why?

Q3.) Do “green” products still cost more?

Q4.) Do you take ergonomic principles into consideration when designing kitchens or bathrooms? Does this include the reasoning behind cabinet pull-outs and other cabinet features?  What about appliance considerations?

Q5.) In what ways can we plan for client safety in the kitchen and bath spaces we design? Please share important tips for designing spaces that work for all stages of life.

The reduction of clutter in our homes has not only been shown to reduce stress but is a current design trend. How does this apply to designing healthy kitchens and baths? 

Q6.) What are your go to design tips for reducing clutter in kitchens? What about in the bathroom? Share pictures of designs you like!

We will also be pinning to our Healthy Kitchens and Baths group Pinterest Board.

 

Join this Twitter Chat discussion

on Wednesday, February 10

from 2 to 3pm eastern time

by adding #KBtribechat to your tweets!

Here’s the transcript for this KBtribechat.

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723 Spring Street, Ann Arbor

 

 

Join guest host, Mark Johnson FAIA, on Wednesday, June 6, 2012, for #kbtribechat LIVE from the 723 Spring Street LEED Platinum home in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Mark will be talking with Scott Phillips, green expert and owner of the home. Scott’s extensive background in the building products industry will inspire our discussionabout the home’s kitchen and bath products that optimize water savings, reduce and monitor energy use, contribute to LEED points, and have led to his family’s adoption of a green lifestyle. This #kbtribechat will incorporate a multimedia offering of resources including videos, photography, a Pinterest board, and downloadable Google SketchUp 3D models of the home and interiors.

723 Spring Street became the City of Ann Arbor’s first LEED Platinum house. It is designed to weave into the surrounding neighborhood in style and function, while showcasing many different types of green building methods that make the home ultra-efficient. In addition to ICF Construction and Geo-thermal Heating, the home also has an 8.6kW solar array and is near net-zero energy usage. Advanced building techniques and sustainable products abound in this lovely home. Don’t miss this exciting #kbtribechat.

NOTE: If you are in the Ann Arbor area on June 9-10, the 723 Spring Street home will be open to the public during MISSION ZERO FEST, along with the Mission Zero House, America’s oldest historic rehab/retrofit home to reach net-zero energy usage.

Here is the transcript for this chat.

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Questions for 2/8/12 kbtribechat on The Vision House

View this presentation by Mark Johnson FAIA for detailed information regarding this weeks discussion:

Here are his questions:

Q1 – If you assigned a style to the #VISIONHouse, what would you call it? > See Slide 3 > http://goo.gl/scXYl 

Q2 – Which of the seven #VISIONHouse ‘sustainability themes’ is most important 2U? Why? > See Slide 7 > http://goo.gl/scXYl 

Q3 – How do you maximize comfort and minimize operational costs in your projects? > See Slide 11 > http://goo.gl/scXYl 

Q4 – What is your favorite building product from the #VISIONHouse sponsors? > See Slides 13-20 > http://goo.gl/scXYl 

Q5 – With #VISIONHouse as example, what can you do to raise ‘green awareness’ w clients? > See Slide 24 > http://goo.gl/scXYl


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