URBAN RETREAT™

David Oakey’s newest Interface collection brings the serenity of the natural world to the most urbane city setting.

A FINE ROMANCEThere’s science behind that warm fuzzy we get looking at lush landscapes and velvety forests filled with songbirds.

BIOPHILIA PLANETFrom London to Singapore, people around the world are bringing nature back into the built environment.

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Welcome to a glorious year with interface®

—one that shines with growth and renewal for all of us. This is a watershed moment for our company.

Many Interface products have traditionally been available (if not produced) around the world from our global locations. But with the Urban Retreat™ collection, we are making every effort to locally manufacture and distribute them. This unites us further as a company and as a brand, a step our late founder Ray Anderson was guiding us toward.

At the opening of Design Week in Milan, we returned to the name first given to us by Mr. Anderson. By using Interface (rather than InterfaceFLOR), we feel we are honoring his legacy and spirit. But in the truest sense, the Anderson vision illuminates our path every day.

In this magazine you’ll read interviews with two members of the Interface Eco Dream Team: Janine Benyus: 09, founder of the global practice of Biomimicry, and Bill Browning: 21, one of eco-infrastructure’s foremost thinkers and strategists. And as always, Interface product designer David Oakey: 12, takes us behind the scenes—in this case, into the woods—to talk about his inspirations for the Urban Retreat collection.

Urban Retreat is David Oakey’s story for 2012. Launching that product line globally is Interface’s story for 2012. Supporting you, our clients, no matter where you are in the world is our story. Every year. Ciao for now.

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IT IS AS ANCIENT AS LASCAUX AND AS UNIVERSAL AS PUPPY LOVE.

DIANNA EDWARDS EXPLORES THE HEART AND SCIENCE OF BIOPHILIA.

A FINE ROMANCE

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We begin with a book written in 1984, a time when most of us do not own either cell phones or personal

computers. dna profiling has just been introduced but does it really work? The aids virus has just been

discovered and a vaccine is promised in just a few years. Those years stretch into decades and the world still

waits. ¶ Harvard’s Dr. Edward O. Wilson (who already holds two Pulitzer Prizes in the natural sciences) fathers

a slim, evocative memoir titled Biophilia that is destined to bear fruit well into the 21st century. In the

minds of many, it will cement his reputation as a giant of science; a modern day synthesis of Darwin and

Thoreau. ¶ The science behind Biophilia is weighty and complex. Its premise is simple. Intuitive, it seems now,

after 28 years distance and a tumble of scientific discoveries—especially the fine-tuning of dna:

Humans are innately drawn to life and to the natural world because we are part of it.

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WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

THE OLDEST LOVE STORY ON RECORD

In simplest terms (forgive us, scientists), this is a love story. For aslong as 42,000 years, man has evidenced his respect, affection, need,and love for the world around him by decorating the walls of cavesfrom France and Spain to Australia and Africa with vividly paintedhuman hands, animals, and abstract flutings.

Since the beginning of language, poets attempt in song or verseto capture the mysteries of their fellow species. Was it just that theaesthetic was universal?

“We are in the fullest sense a biological species,” wrote Dr. Wilson.“And will find little ultimate meaning apart from the remainder oflife.” From infancy on, we “learn to distinguish life from the inanimateand move toward it like moths to a porch light.”

Ah, that voice. Dr. Wilson is as much artist as scientist. He tells us why:Like art, science blends exact imagery to conjure distant meaning.

So over the course of Biophilia, Wilson the hunter-scout ofour ancient tribe brings to us from his vast stores of wisdom deliciousmorsels such as poetry (from Keats to Octavio Paz), art (from JosephStella to the Paleolithic cave paintings) and geometry (the symmetryof Riemannian formulas). He uses these gifts as decoration; illuminationto show us the way of love between humans and other species.He does this much as a Bowerbird might use them as decoration forattracting a mate.

“Scientists do not discover in order to know,” he says.“They know in order to discover.”

World, world, I cannot get thee close enough Long have I known a glory in it all, But never knew I this;

Here such a passion is As stretcheth me apart.

EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY, ‘GOD’S WAY’

LOVE AT FIRST BITE

05

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“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.”

� RACHEL CARSON, ‘SILENT SPRING’

YOU MAKE MY HEART SING

The genius of Edward Wilson,like Rachel Carson before him, isless in his being a great scientistthan in his not always soundinglike one.

When he writes of the Earthand all the species he would haveus know, he does so simply andelegantly, with a boy’s sense ofwonder. He is a man in love. Andthrough his eyes, we fall in loveall over again.

The book Biophilia didn’tjust get the word biophiliainto the culture, it helped get thetwin concepts of biophilia—thatman loves nature and that ourdestinies are intertwined—ontothe world stage.

All of which helped shapethe modern conservation ethic andhad no small impact on disciplinesfrom architecture to fashion andyes, manufacturing. (To see howsome modern global companies

are addressing biophilia in designand architecture, see pages 20–24.)As for Interface, we’ve added aninspired collection called UrbanRetreat™ that evokes the quiet andsanctuary of an old-growth forestfloor down to the occasional mossor lichen-covered stone.

As in nature, this is a founda-tion of soothing, calming neutrals.The color comes from the animals(ourselves) living among them.

THE CALL OF THE WILD

When we first set out on ourjourney towards sustainabilityin 1994, our late founderRay Anderson assembled wisemen and women already workingand writing in the field to helpus. Men and women such asJanine Benyus (who formalizedthe practice of Biomimicry);Bill Browning (one of the foremoststrategists in the green buildingand real estate industry); and

of course, Paul Hawken, the authorwhose book The Ecology ofCommerce Ray Anderson creditedfor his epiphany.

Entropy® was among thefirst products to come out of thisdream collaboration. Inspired byBiomimicry, Entropy answeredthe question, “How would Naturedesign a floor?”

Even as our understand-ing of Biomimicry has expanded,(see Janine Benyus on page 08),biophilia has taken root all overthe world.

Which brings up a question:With so many of us living now incities of concrete and steel, whyare so many people responding tothe call of the wild?

As rhetorical as that seems,the answer lies in our distantpast. Although we have been ableto leave the savanna, Biophiliaseems to say that the savanna hasnever really left us.

The book Biophiliadidn’t just get theword biophilia intothe culture, it helpedget the twin conceptsof biophilia—thatman loves natureand that our destiniesare intertwined—onto the world stage.

PUPPY LOVE:

THE SPERRY TOP SIDER

The paws of a cocker spanielinspired the original boat shoein 1935. By copying his dog’sgrooved paws with a white sole,Paul Sperry created the definitivenon-slip, no mark deck shoe.

06

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“My experience is thatconservation is a passion —it is not something you dobecause scientists write

papers about its value, papers that The New York Times

then covers. All thatanalytical science stuff is

backfill after ourheart has been grabbed.”

PETER KAREIVA

‘COOL GREEN SCIENCE’

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JANINE BENYUS IS A FORCE OF NATURE. SINCE THE PUBLICATION OF HER FIRST BOOK ON BIOMIMICRY 15 YEARS AGO, SHE HAS GIVEN THE PRACTICE OF BIOMIMICRY GLOBAL REACH. SHE HAS INSPIRED SOME OF THE WORLD’S MOST INNOVATIVE COMPANIES, STARTING WITH INTERFACE, TO CLAMOR FOR A “BIOLOGIST AT THE DESIGN TABLE” TO REIMAGINE EVERYTHING FROM ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE TO PRODUCTDEVELOPMENT. AS OF MAY 2012, SHE IS THE WINNER OF THE DESIGN MIND AWARD FROM THE SMITHSONIAN’S COOPER-HEWITT NATIONAL DESIGN MUSEUM IN NEW YORK.

INTERFACE CHATS UP JANINE BENYUS

INTERFACE (IF) Let’s talk about the intersection of Biomimicry and Biophilia where the Urban Retreat collection lives. Because the products are so lovely, people may have a hard time believ-ing they are made from, in part, recovered fishing nets, old carpet and other rubbish.

JANINE BENYUS (JB)

You’ve got a point.

IF Some people may think of Biomimicry as mimicking how nature looks. How does it apply to rubbish?

JB Life Recycles Everything. Everything is food for something else. But life Up Cycles. Think of a log. The materials in that log will wind up first in the body of a fungus. Then a mouse nibbles on fungus. Then a hawk gets the mouse. Life is always creating new products on its assembly line.

IF David Oakey said one of the biggest stories in biomimicry today was the waste cycle. I’m paraphras-ing but the example went like this. The misconception is that to build a sustainable hotel, one must build it with bamboo. We should strive for recycling synthetic materials that are already out there.

JB We are not the first ones [on this planet] to build. Most organisms have to be creative with what is available. What has gotten us into trouble is this un-natural waste process we’ve created. We take compounds like oil from the earth, make something, and then just dump it. No cycles.

IF Take-make-waste.

JB Biomimicry studies common patterns. Ubiquity. Whenever you see that, chances are you should pay attention. One of Life’s Principles—the overarching

What Rubbish can Learn from the Food Chain. EEEEEEEKK!—(It’s Only Natural).

08

AU

DU

BO

N’S

“W

INT

ER

HA

WK

” Up

cylin

g a f

rog

70999_Folio_u3.indd 10 5/25/12 2:50 PM

Making Rubbish Beautiful

The people at Interface feel a personal commitment to

increasing the recycled content in Interface products. David Oakey put it like this: “My job is to make

synthetics—trash—beautiful.” Urban Retreat™ is certainly

an example of turning “trash” into beauty. And beauty that is more

than skin deep, too. The collection has a total recycled content

ranging from 79–81%, including 35% post-consumer content.

By working closely with yarn suppliers around the world (like Aquafil), Interface has steadily increased the post-consumer

content of all our yarns. Aquafil’s story has Biophilia overtones: the company takes pride in salvaging

commercial fishing nets throughout Europe, America,

and Asia, as well as reclaimed carpet fiber and other rubbish, and

transforming the nylon into raw materials for new 100% recycled content carpet fiber. Collecting these enormous nets protects marine animals in the ocean

depths and on the beaches where the nets sometimes wash up.

So in this case, doing well does good all around. For people,

animals, the planet, and business. This may not be a Life Principle

according to nature, but it certainly was according to our

founder, Ray Anderson. Think of that as you wiggle your

toes in Urban Retreat. Because trash, rubbish, and happy

stories will be what you are walking on.

09

patterns found among speciesthat survive and thrive on earth—is that Life Recycles Everything.Take a forest ecosystem.Trees there may have been inplace for hundreds of years.There is unlimited energycoming into that forest. There’sa lot of carbon coming in also inthe form of CO2. Other things,too. Nitrogen and mineralscoming into the soil. But thereis only so much nitrogen and somany soil minerals. Those thingshave to be recycled over andover again.

IF There’s no shipping departmentbringing them in.

JB Exactly. Life has learned tojuggle those resources rightwhere they are. It’s interestingalso because when we think ofrecycling, we tend to think ofturning pop bottles into morepop bottles. But that’s not whatwe’re talking about with Life.What life does is Up Cycle.

So when Interface’s sup-plier “turns fishing nets into newcarpets,” Interface is Up Cycling;following one of life Principles.

IF Petroleum. Cars. Plastics.Chemicals. Furniture. It’s atragedy there aren’t systems forup cycling synthetics. AlthoughInterface has done a great jobreducing its dependency on oilwhich helps significantly.

JB Yes, it does help. But goingback to our forest examplefor a minute, how did all thosethings get to be 100% recyclable?They are all edible. They are alllife friendly.

Life builds from the bottomup with a small list of commonsafe elements. Life uses theseelements to create about fivedifferent polymers (like chitin,collagen, and keratin). Why sofew? Because life has figuredout how to add new design func-tionality to common polymers.

By contrast, there are about350 different synthetic polymers

commercially available in theworld today. Every time we need anew function our chemists createa new, non-recyclable material.

IF Although, there’s anotheraspect to waste, isn’t there?Ignoring abundance?

JB Yes. In the human economythe things that have the mostvalue are RARE. Think of goldand platinum. The natural worldvalues most what is ABUNDANTand LOCAL because it requiresthe least expenditure of energy toobtain. The minute a leaf falls inthe forest, everybody knows aboutit and heads out to get it. If it fallsright next to me, it is the mostprecious thing in the universe.Nature says, “Hey—I’m going tomake a mouse body out of thatsomeday.” Everything is eventuallyfood for something else.

IF Whereas to most people, aleaf is a thing to be burned, blown,or raked.

JB Yes. Because “trash” is abun-dant, it isn’t valuable.

IF Last thoughts. Ray Anderson.

JB (Pause) Ray was the real deal.Interface was the first companywe worked with. We work withmore than 200 companies today.Not just on innovations, but alsoon this whole idea of what kindof standards do we hold ourselvesaccountable to.

When Ray Anderson stoodup, he was alone among thecaptains of industry in doing that.We are not alone anymore.

here

’s o

ne w

ord

for

you:

pol

ymer

A

lthou

gh th

e wor

d po

lym

er is

som

etim

es co

nsid

ered

in

terc

hang

eabl

e with

pla

stic

s, it

isn’

t. Po

lym

ers c

an b

e na

tura

l or s

ynth

etic

. Her

e’s a

shor

t lis

t.

NATURAL Amber CelluloseChitin Natural Rubber Shellac

SYNTHETIC POLYMERS BakeliteNeoprene Nylon Polyacrylonitrile PolyethylenePolypropylene Polystyrene PVB PVCSilicone Silly Putty Synthetic Rubber And many more.

Aquafil’s storyhas Biophilia overtones:

the company takespride in salvaging

commercial fishingnets throughout Europe,

America, and Asia,and transforming the

nylon into raw materialsfor new 100% recycledcontent carpet fiber.

Biomimicry 3.8 is the global leader in biomimicry innovation consulting, training for professionals, and curricula development for educators. biomimicry 3.8: www.biomimicry.net

70999_Folio_u3.indd 11 5/25/12 2:50 PM

The F

orest

With

in: U

rban

Ret

reat

TM

INT

O T

HE

WO

OD

S W

ITH

DA

VID

OA

KE

Y

davi

d oa

key’

s sch

edul

e is

bus

y the

se d

ays.

He’

s jus

t ret

urne

d fr

om w

orki

ng w

ith R

obin

Hal

es, I

nter

face

VP/

Mar

ketin

g &

Pro

duct

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sia i

n Si

ngap

ore,

pre

parin

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ompa

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fir

st si

mul

tane

ous p

rodu

ct la

unch

late

r thi

s fal

l. O

akey

’s n

ewes

t col

lect

ion,

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an R

etre

at, i

s goi

ng gl

obal

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e all

of O

akey

’s w

ork,

Urb

an R

etre

at is

bea

utifu

l. Th

is co

llect

ion

is q

uiet

and

sere

ne.

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ses n

atur

al n

eutr

als t

o su

mm

on an

cien

t sto

ne w

alls

and

fore

sts b

orde

ring o

n a s

avan

na. Th

ink

of th

e pal

ette

in an

old

grow

th fo

rest

. Bar

k is

a te

xtur

e stu

dy in

itse

lf. L

iche

n, m

oss,

an

d sa

ge gi

ve u

s gre

en in

a ra

nge o

f val

ues.

Ther

e’s fl

ax in

pal

e yel

low

for t

he sa

vann

a gra

sses

. And

whe

n co

lors

com

bine

, edg

es so

ften.

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hen

on a

ston

e wal

l. M

oss i

n th

e elb

ow o

f a b

ranc

h.

This

is U

rban

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reat

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ther

e’s m

ore t

o it.

The h

isto

ry o

f thi

s col

lect

ion

goes

bac

k de

cade

s.

rban

ret

reat

has

an im

pres

sive

ped

igre

e tha

t spa

ns

deca

des i

n D

avid

Oak

ey’s

care

er. Th

e col

lect

ion

has

been

shap

ed b

y Oak

ey’s

ded

icat

ion

to S

usta

inab

ility

, a p

assi

on h

e sha

red

with

Ray

And

erso

n. It

also

bea

rs

the i

mpr

int o

f Bio

mim

icry

, an

emer

ging

fiel

d in

1997

w

hen

Oak

ey fi

rst m

et Ja

nine

Ben

yus b

ut to

day,

a gl

obal

dis

cipl

ine.

But

the r

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agic

of U

rban

Ret

reat

la

ys in

its a

lche

my o

f Sus

tain

abili

ty, B

iom

imic

ry, a

nd m

ore:

Oak

ey’s

lo

ve o

f a d

usty

1984

title

calle

d Bi

ophi

lia. I

n th

at b

ook,

Har

vard

Pro

fess

or

Edw

ard

Wils

on ex

plai

ned

not o

nly w

hy h

uman

s res

pond

ed p

ositi

vely

to

nat

ure b

ut al

so h

ow th

e des

tiny o

f our

spec

ies w

as li

nked

with

the

othe

rs o

n ea

rth.

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ce B

ioph

ilia

cam

e out

28 ye

ars a

go, t

he co

nsen

sus

has b

ecom

e (se

e pag

e 04)

that

bec

ause

nat

ure m

akes

us f

eel g

ood,

the

mor

e we c

an in

clud

e in

our u

rban

bui

lt en

viro

nmen

ts, t

he b

ette

r off

we

are.

Dav

id O

akey

has

seen

this

in ac

tion

in h

is tr

avel

s aro

und

the

wor

ld. I

n ar

chite

ctur

e, d

esig

n, p

rodu

cts,

land

scap

e, an

d ar

t. A

nd so

, Ur

ban

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70999_Folio_u2.indd 12 5/25/12 12:24 PM

TH

E R

ES

T O

F T

HE

ST

OR

Y

oake

y de

sign

s as

muc

h fo

r th

e m

ind

as f

or t

he s

ense

s.

This

is a

grea

ter c

halle

nge t

han

it wo

uld

have

bee

n to

mak

e a p

retty

flor

al

mas

hup

and

cons

ider

the j

ob d

one.

He s

ays h

e ans

wers

to a

high

er au

thor

ity:

His

own

stan

dard

s. ¶

“Loo

k at

that

azal

ea o

utsid

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e say

s, po

intin

g to

an

early

-blo

omin

g wild

varie

ty th

at m

ust s

tand

six f

eet t

all.

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alre

ady f

adin

g he

re in

mid

-Apr

il. “N

atur

e is c

ontin

ually

chan

ging

, fro

m d

awn

to d

usk,

se

ason

to se

ason

. Evo

lvin

g all

the t

ime.

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ever

chan

ging

colo

r and

des

ign.

H

uman

s wan

t thi

ngs t

o ch

ange

—ag

ains

t a fo

unda

tion.

That

’s w

hat

Urba

n Re

trea

t is.”

¶ Th

e win

d ha

s kic

ked

up o

utsi

de an

d th

e pon

d sh

ows t

iny

whi

teca

ps h

eadi

ng to

shor

e. “B

esid

es,”

says

Oak

ey, “

Our

mes

sage

s are

in

our d

esig

ns. Th

ey ar

e lik

e the

leav

es o

f a b

ook.

The s

tory

we w

rite

in th

ose

carp

et ti

les i

s wha

t we l

eave

beh

ind.

”

“Bio

phili

c des

ign

has d

eep

root

ed p

hysi

olog

ical

resp

onse

s,”

says

Bill

Bro

wni

ng. “

Whe

n yo

u ca

n lo

ok at

a vi

ew o

f nat

ure a

nd sa

y,

I lik

e tha

t, w

hat i

s hap

peni

ng is

actu

ally

a bi

oche

mic

al

resp

onse

of o

piat

es fl

ushi

ng to

the b

rain

sayi

ng, l

ike l

ike l

ike l

ike.”

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owni

ng is

a fo

unde

r and

par

tner

of T

erra

pin

Brig

ht G

reen

, an

en

viro

nmen

tal c

onsu

ltanc

y for

corp

orat

ions

, gov

ernm

ents

, an

d la

rge-

scal

e rea

l est

ate d

evel

opm

ents

. ¶ G

iven

the n

umbe

r of

peop

le ar

ound

the w

orld

mov

ing t

o ci

ties f

or th

e pas

t sev

eral

year

s,

view

s of n

atur

e fro

m to

werin

g apa

rtm

ents

or d

ownt

own

com

mer

cial

di

stric

ts co

uld

be h

arde

r to

find.

¶ H

ow, t

hen,

to ad

dres

s the

“Nat

ure

Gap

” tha

t peo

ple i

n ci

ties s

till n

eed?

“In

Sing

apor

e, th

ere a

re b

rand

ne

w ap

artm

ent b

uild

ings

, hot

els,

and

deve

lopm

ent c

ompl

exes

ev

eryw

here

,” sa

ys D

avid

Oak

ey. “

You

cann

ot fi

nd a

new

bui

ldin

g tha

t do

esn’

t hav

e an

elem

ent o

f Bio

phili

a des

igne

d in

to it

.”

Serenity + SustainabilityUrban Retreat has a total recycled content ranging from 79–81%, including 35% post-consumer content. We continue to push ourselves

to higher post-consumer content goals. Color palettes are evocative of heritage stones, forests, and savanna grasses.

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70999_Folio.indd 13 5/24/12 10:40 AM

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70999_Folio_u3.indd 14 5/25/12 2:51 PM

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70999_Folio_u3.indd 15 5/25/12 2:53 PM

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70999_Folio.indd 20 5/24/12 10:47 AM

LEGGAE NATURALE

70999_Folio.indd 21 5/24/12 10:48 AM

Biop

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70999_Folio.indd 22 5/24/12 10:48 AM

21

TERRAPIN BRIGHT GREEN IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANCY WITH OFFIC-ES IN NEW YORK & WASH-INGTON, D.C. THEY ARE AN EXTREME ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANCY, YOU MIGHT SAY. ITS FOUNDERS AND PARTNERS ARE INTELLEC-TUAL HEAVYWEIGHTS WHO ARE LEADERS IN THE GREEN

BUILDING AND REAL ESTATE MOVEMENT, AWARD-WINNING ARCHITECTS, BIOMIMICRY AND SUSTAINABLE DESIGN ADVOCATES, AND FORENSIC HISTORIC PRESERVATIONISTS. More than anything else, however, Terrapin Bright Green are thinker-strategists; a brave new breed of eco-infrastructure experts with scientists and policy makers on speed dial. This company has set new precedents for ‘think-do’ tanks for projects of global scale and strategic impact. Members have advised, among other entities, the White House; the new World Trade Center; Grand Canyon National Park; Algae Biofuels; Xihu Tiandi (Shanghai); Caicique (Costa Rica); and the Serengeti National Park (Africa).

Bill Browning, a founder and partner of Terrapin Bright Green, cut his teeth on out of the green box thinking. Early in his career he helped build Buckminster Fuller’s last experimental struc-ture. Browning is also a member (along with Biomimicry 3.8’s Janine Benyus) of the Interface Eco Dream Team.

“We are a small consulting firm pretty heavily involved in both Biophilia and Biomimicry,” says Browning. “These are two pieces that filter our world view in a really intriguing way. Both are core to our work as a practice.”

One of the projects Terrapin Bright Green is under-taking has the group collaborating with Janine Benyus and The Biomimicry Guild to provide technical assistance to the businesses in New York. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority will fund workshops open to any

business wishing to consider possible biomimetic solutions to their challenges.

“The idea of Biophilia has come into the mainstream population only fairly recently,” says Browning. “Although intuitively, people have been doing it forever.”

To put that in simple terms, we pay more for apartments in park like settings. We buy more (and pay more) in retail environments with plants, trees, and skylights.

Terrapin Bright Green has just published a comprehensive white paper on the subject titled, The Economics of Biophilia: Why Designing with Nature Makes Good Financial Sense. One morsel: The healthcare industry could save $93 million dollars each year if patients had views to nature.

The study examines the positive business impact— usually financial—of making room for nature in sectors from the workplace to the classroom to the courtroom. Scientific calcula-tions and thorough references are included for those not easily convinced that the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku* might lower blood glucose levels.

Browning says one issue that concerns him now is America’s election year politicizing of the environment.

“The whole green issue is being defined as a republican/democrat issue. You don’t see that so much in other countries.”

It has been impossible not to speak to Interface Eco Dream Team members about the legacy of Ray Anderson. Bill Browning put it thusly: “Now there can and will be other Ray Andersons. But he was the first one. You know, it was fitting that the first major industrial company to step up to the plate was a carpet company. Because the first major industrial revolution started with fabric as well.”

Washington & New York:The Mentalists

*Shinrin-yoku: Forest-bathing. The ancient Japanese practice of restorative walks through natural settings, most often forests. Tested extensively against western exercise programs over six years with positive results. See the full story in Terrapin Bright Green’s report.

HMMMMMM…

70999_Folio_u5.indd 23 5/29/12 2:56 PM

GARDEN IN THE SKY

Singapore: The Lion City Roars

Actor Brad Pitt in the PBS documentary, design/e2 (2006) refers to Ken Yeang’s work, “…wind, rain and sun, in the minds of most architects, are enemies.

But what if buildings can utilize and respond to the conditions of the environment? What if the urban environment itself became a living-breathing organism?

For Ken Yeang it is…”

SINGAPORE IS A SMALL TROPICAL ISLAND COUNTRY WITH A BIG REPUTATION. IT IS WELL KNOWN AS THE PREMIER FINANCIAL HUB IN ASIA AND ONE OF THE WORLD’S LEADING FINANCIAL CENTERS. IT IS CALLED THE LION CITY (FROM ITS MALAYAN NAME) BUT ALSO SOMETIMES THE GARDEN CITY (FOR ITS 358 PARKS AND 4 NATURE RESERVES). BUT JUST FOR THE RECORD, LIONS NEVER LIVED HERE.Singapore is a highly urbanized nation with a population of close to five million in about 272 square miles (704km). This land has been hard earned through on-going land-reclamation projects. Specifically because land comes at such a premium, most people live and work in high-rise structures. Since the city is so appealing financially, it attracts some of the world’s renowned architects—especially those with an ecological approach to building design.

The Solaris project is a prime example. Con-ceived and designed by architect Dr. Ken Yeang (whose firm is one of Fast Company’s 2011 Top 8 Most Innovative in the World), Solaris is a marvel of comprehensive ecothought.

Vertical green urbanism is the hallmark of Ken Yeang’s work. Dr. Yeang, who holds a PhD in ecological design and planning from the University of Cambridge, is the author of the 1997 book, The Skyscraper, Bioclimatically Considered.

22

BIOP

HIL

IA P

LAN

ET

A LIVING BUILDING Even the shape of the Solaris building

evokes a sense of life. From the exterior, one sees cascading landscaped

terraces that bring nature to the doorstep of each office. Inside, two

tower blocks are separated by a grand, naturally ventilated central atrium.

Roof gardens and corner sky terraces aren’t just cosmetic or

recreational, important as those things may be. They act as thermal buffers. The building’s extensive eco-infra-

structure is irrigated by rainwater that is harvested, stored, and then

recycled throughout the building.

THAT TRULY FEELS ALIVE Ms. Siyao He, Sustainable

Solutions Manager for Interface, Asia, visited Solaris to give us

a firsthand review of the project.She says. “Even though I’m in

a building, I feel like I am in an open “breathable space” because of the

glass façade that allows an expansive amount of natural light in and

the greenery inside.”Ms. Siyao described the

eco-infrastructure as a very important part of the building’s aesthetic,

saying that the greenery “is designed in a spiral to provide a seemingly

continuous flow of greenery through-out the building.”

What a lovely thought: the pale white base color of the building

blending with all the tones of green inside, gentled by the natural light

of the glass atrium and still, the outside visible.

70999_Folio_u3.indd 24 5/25/12 3:04 PM

UP ON THE ROOF

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA IS A CITY OF STUNNINGARCHITECTURAL CONTRASTS. IT IS WELL KNOWNFOR THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE, PERHAPS THEMOST RECOGNIZABLE BUILDING OF THE 20THCENTURY. BUT EIGHT KILOMETERS NORTH THEREIS CASTLECRAG, A SUBURB WITH AN ARTS ANDCRAFTS FEEL TO IT. MORE TO OUR POINT, IT HAS ADISTINCT BIOPHILIA POINT OF VIEW. CASTLECRAGWAS DESIGNED IN 1925 BY CHICAGO ARCHITECTWALTER BURLEY GRIFFIN.Burley Griffin, who had worked with Frank Lloyd Wright

and created most of Frank’s early landscapes, designed Castlecrag specifically to celebrate the native bushland plants and natural stone of Australia.Many of the homes were built of the stone from the nearby cliffs so they could blend into the natural environment. Many also featured interior court-yards in the style of Roman villas. All this was decades before a national environmental organization formed to protect Australia’s native vegetation.Greening Australia, the 1982 collaboration between the United Nations Association of Australia and the Nursery Industry Association of Australia,began by focusing on declining tree cover. As needs changed, the group responded accordingly.

23

Learn more about the rooftop garden at mcentral.com.au and see more great projects at dje.com.au

which brings us, in a way, to the subject of green roofs. The idea of a ‘green roof ’ is thou-sands of years old. The Vikings, the earliest Europeans and Native Americans, and the first American western settlers all had grass and sod roofs in common. It is a brilliant architectural solution: A natural heating and cooling system that’s easy to repair and (bonus) feeds livestock.

Modern green roofs offer these benefits and more. Green roofs are marvels of biodiver-sity-enhancing, heat-alleviating, sound- insulating, stormwater-reducing beauties in urban eco-systems.

Since 2002, the country has embraced green roofs in every sector. Melbourne’s City Council

House 2 Building set the benchmark for the rest of the country with its six-star Green Star Design certification from the Green Building Council.

In Sydney, two centrally located late-1800s ‘Wool Stores’ were restored into a loft metropolis with an amazing 2600m2 garden up on the roof.

M Central Residential is a massive but meticulously re-imagined heritage commercial warehouse site that began life during the heyday of Sydney’s wool trade. Built near the docks for ready access to clipper ships (such as the Cutty Sark), the buildings were made for storage; brick on the outside and good timber on the inside. Architect Dale Jones-Evans retained as much of the original brick and timber as possible when

converting the building into apartments and sky homes grounded by six retail spaces. He conceived the roof as an ‘elevated Australian parkland’ of savanna grasses, succulents, and timber boardwalks.

All of this, of course, is far above the streets of Sydney just a stone’s throw from Darling Harbour where the clipper ships (and later, the steamers) once came and left with the wool that was the country’s economic lifeline in the 1800s.

Any green roof, no matter how primitive, is a living, breathing thermal dynamics department. To find one that is beautiful, authentic, and anchored in a country’s national history like the one at M Central, is another thing entirely.

Sydney: Wooly Bully

70999_Folio_u3.indd 25 5/25/12 2:53 PM

2,500 Hives Registered

in London

70 lbsHoney from each

Hive Every Season

50,000Bees in Each Hive

24

London: Buzzy and BrightTony Gamble/London

ALL OVER THE WORLD, BEEKEEPING HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY POPULAR AS A WAY FORURBAN DWELLERS TO RECONNECT WITH NATURE. THE PEOPLE OF LONDON HAVE EMBRACED IT FOR A WHOLE HOST OF REASONS:

THE HONEY, THE STRESS RELIEF, AND THE CONNECTION WITH NATURE. AFTER ALL,BEEKEEPING IS IDEAL IN A CITY OF PARKS AND GARDENS. London’s remarkable 25% green space is provided by private

gardens of all sizes and types. Elegant garden squares, open public spaces, and the famous Royal Parks, such as Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens andSt James’s Park. Together, these are home to a huge diversity of plant life.

THE BEE’S KNEES

THE TASTE OF HONEY The rich variety of forage available here results in an amazingly complex tasting, and plentiful, supply of honey. It’s not just urban farmers and community gardeners who are getting involved, but people from all walks of life. They do it to help the environment and — perhaps most importantly — to escape the stresses of modern life. In short, they do it to put a little natural warmth back into their cool city lives.

WHERE DO THE BEES LIVE? From back yards to Buckingham Palace, beehives are almost anywhere in London. More surprisingly, you can now find beehives on many of London’s rooftops — where bees need particularly careful handling. St Paul’s Cathedral and Tate Modern have them on their roofs, looked after by expert beekeepers. Historic department store Fortnum & Mason has had particular success with its sixth-floor hives, producing its exclusive Fortnum’s Bees Honey.

NO BEES. NO PLANTS. NO PEOPLE. In A World Without Bees, urban beekeeping experts Alison Benjamin and Brian McCallum discuss how, if all the world’s bees disappeared, mankind would have only four years left to live. Without bees, there’s no pollination, and without pollination, there are no plants — and soon no animals, and then no humans. It’s a sobering thought that the western honeybee pollinates 70% of the food we eat. And it’s an extremely sound reason to become a beekeeper.

THE BEEKEEPER'S FRIENDBut if the ultimate aim is to save bees(and therefore ourselves), it’simportant to do it properly. Keepingthousands of bees happy, healthy andproductive is a complex craft. Anyonewho looks into a beehive is enthralledby this mesmerizing miracle oforganization. And there’s plenty ofhelp for those who want to learn. Forexample, The London BeekeepersAssociation (LBKA) offers in-depthtraining and a mentoring program,which supports novice beekeepers,passing on a wealth of experience.

BEE FRIENDLY GARDENSCity dwellers that don’t practicebeekeeping can still help protect ourecology and our food chain.“Youdon’t have to keep bees to save them,”says the LBKA.“There are many otheruseful things we can all do. We canplant ‘pollinator-friendly’ flowers,trees and plants. We can also stopusing pesticides in our gardens. Andwe can support our local beekeepersby buying their honey.”

BIOP

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LAN

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70999_Folio_u2.indd 26 5/25/12 12:24 PM

editorDianna Edwards/Words and Ideas

designJack Whitman/Son & Sons

writersDianna Edwards S. Weet Brown Tony Gamble Siyao He

product photographyGeof Kern (Conceptual) Martyn Thompson (Interiors)

inspirationsCave Spring kittens, London, Tab Mulberry, P.G., Springtime, E.S.S, Feisty Mornings, Dawn redwood.

folio is printed by UniqueActive, a solvent-free printer, a low-emitter of VOC’s and a 100% user of vegetable oil based inks. All waste generated during he manufacturing process was recycled. folio is printed on paper fromMohawk, one of the first large-scale production facilities in America to use wind-generated electricity. Isn’t fine print educational?

i thank You God for most this amazingday: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees

and a blue true dream of sky; and for everythingwhich is natural which is infinite which is yes

e.e. cummings

“The Hanging Gardens of Babylon have plants cultivated at a height above ground level, and the roots of the trees are embedded in an upper terrace rather than in the earth. Thus it happens that a ploughed field lies above the heads of those who walk between the columns below…”philo of byzantium (ca 250 bc)

buckminster fuller spent much of the early 20th Century looking for ways to improve human shelter. The result was his Geodesic Dome, “structured after the natural system of humans and trees with a central stem or backbone, from which all else is independently hung, utilizing gravity instead of opposing it.” Sound familiar? Fuller presented his work for the first time at the 1954 Milan Triennale. Their theme? Life Between Artifact and Nature: Design and the Environmental Challenge. Déjà vu all over again!

“Beyond that, we will all enter the food chain. And not always right at the top.”

hunter s. thompson

“Coming in the house would be something like putting on your hat and going outdoors.”frank lloyd wright on the martin house complex

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70999_Folio_u2.indd 27 5/25/12 12:24 PM

© 2012 Interface, Inc. Mission Zero and the Mission Zero Logo are registered trademarks of Interface, Inc.

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70999_Folio_u1.indd 28 5/25/12 9:07 AM