ANTRON Carpet Fiber Recertified An EPP

INVISTA recently announced recertification of its ANTRON® carpet fiber as an Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP) by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS). Originally certified in 2002, ANTRON carpet fiber was the first carpet face fiber to achieve EPP certification. It is the only carpet fiber to achieve recertification for three consecutive cycles.

The recertification was based on a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) conducted by Boustead Consulting Ltd., a third-party research firm with more than 35 years of experience in LCA consulting worldwide. INVISTA engaged the firm to study and analyze environmental impact data for all INVISTA plants worldwide that produce ANTRON carpet fiber.

“The results of this study provide us with a truly comprehensive global analysis of the environmental footprint of ANTRON carpet fiber, from the cradle to finished fiber,” said Henning Bloech, manager of environmental initiatives. “These data will become the benchmark for managing the key factors that contribute to sustainable carpet fiber production. The global eco-profile provides us with a thorough, rigorous approach to maintaining our current environmental certifications, and will also enable our understanding as we continually work to improve manufacturing processes and develop new product offerings.”

“Receipt of EPP certification for Antron carpet fiber is an important accomplishment for our business, as it validates our efforts to lead the industry with credible environmental offerings,” said Bobby Berrier, vice president, commercial interiors for INVISTA. “It’s a great example of the diligence we put behind our claims. It took a tremendous amount of time, effort and investment; but we believe it is the right approach, given the need for greater transparency among the many claims that are made in our industry today.”

“Consistent with our guiding principle of integrity, INVISTA strives to make no marketing claim unless we can back it up with validated facts derived from sound analytical methodology,” continued Berrier. “It is the way we operate. For the ANTRON carpet fiber brand, it permeates all we say and do.”

EPP Certification takes a holistic approach to environmental stewardship, rather than focus on a single attribute. Upon review of the data, ANTRON carpet fiber achieved EPP certification after SCS concluded that ANTRON carpet fiber meets or exceeds the stringent EPP requirements in all five areas of evaluation: product manufacturing, resource conservation, human health impacts, end-of-life responsibility, and product performance.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has approved new standards for sustainable carpet, known as NSF-140-2007, which is the first multi-attribute standard for environmentally preferable building materials in the construction industry. Using up to 25% EPP materials contributes points toward certification under this American National Standard in the same proportion as post consumer recycled content or bio-based materials. Therefore, carpets with EPP certified ANTRON carpet fiber can earn up to 6 points under NSF-140 credit 8.2.1. (To read more about NSF 140-2007, read "Sustainable Carpet" from TFM March 2008.)

The program manager of material content and sustainable choice certification for Scientific Certification Systems, Ed Wyatt, said, "We congratulate INVISTA for being the only carpet fiber manufacturer to achieve EPP recertification. Since 2002, we have been impressed with the company's dedication to achieving this rigorous standard by continuously reducing the environmental impact of ANTRON carpet fiber, to meet or exceed the evaluation criteria for recertification. EPP certification assures architects, designers and facility managers they are making sound environmental specification decisions when selecting carpet manufactured with ANTRON carpet fiber."

Antron Announces Carpet Fiber Design Award Winners

The 23rd Antron® Carpet Fiber Design Award grand prize was presented to Cohos Evamy integratedesign™ for its innovative use of carpet in designing the PCL Centennial Learning Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. Judges selected this project as Grand Prize winner for its application of carpet that provides a counterpoint to the architecture of the space and an artful solution to the floor.

The firm was honored alongside other category and merit-winning designers and architects in a celebratory ceremony and dinner. Entries were evaluated on carpet application, creativity and originality, and how well the design met client business objectives and challenges.

Grand Prize Winner: PCL Centennial Learning Centre
Built to celebrate this construction firm’s 100th anniversary, PCL Centennial Learning Centre is a model of sustainable design with a focus on professional development and staff training. Cohos Evamy integratedesign™ designed the building to showcase PCL’s core business of construction. While most of the building features cast-in-place concrete and exposed building system elements, designers used carpet and suspended ceilings to highlight the Centre’s gathering spaces. Atlas Carpet Mills’ “Perspective,” featuring Antron® Legacy nylon, was selected for its strong sculptural pattern which holds court with the materials around it and complements the vertical and horizontal elements of the design.

“This building serves as a high profile learning and gathering venue. As such, the building sees high usage and heavy traffic through a variety of weather conditions. Tracked in snow, salt, and grit are a reality” said Michelle Sigurdson, interior design associate, Cohos Evamy integratedesign™. “Antron® carpet fiber was right choice for this project because we needed a carpet that could stand up to staining and soiling while remaining attractive and meeting the LEED standard.”

Healthcare Category Winner: Perkins Eastman
The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center-Surgical Center Platform isn’t your typical hospital. Designers at Perkins Eastman sought to create an environment that comforts patients by providing positive distractions, such as art, and a hospitality-inspired design. The use of carpet is integral to the design because it softens spaces, provides comfort underfoot and controls acoustics, creating a soothing environment for patients, families and staff. Atlas Carpet Mills’ “Parterre” in two colors, constructed of Antron Lumena® solution dyed nylon, is used in waiting areas and stands up to the stringent cleaning criteria of hospital environments. The resulting design is loved by all who visit the space because it provides a positive environment for healing.

Hospitality Category Winner: Durrant-Minneapolis
When Durrant-Minneapolis was tasked to create the Cue, a new bar and restaurant at the Jean Nouvel-designed Guthrie Theater, it had to be a high-profile space that was all about hospitality and design, in a building that was about theatre and drama. The resulting space, located directly below the theatre’s main stage, features the facade’s signature midnight blue color, complemented by a neutral palette of charcoal and white. Light plays an important role in setting the stage inside the bar and restaurant, which features spotlight-style theatrical lighting that strikes both reflective and luminescent surfaces. Designers selected a custom charcoal colored carpet, “Bubbles” from Atlas Carpet Mills, featuring Antron® Legacy nylon. The dark carpet absorbs overhead light which prevents bounce-back, and the carpet fibers help control restaurant acoustics so they don’t interfere with stage performances in the theatre space above.

Large Office Category Winner: Gensler
The Office of the Attorney General of Washington State tasked Gensler’s Seattle office with updating their offices to attract and maintain talented young lawyers they were losing to law firms. Their previous space was dark and dated, which they felt was affecting their work. Designers maximized their small budget by using paint, carpet and drywall to transform the space. The resulting design is light, bright and dramatic, which was a challenge because of the need for private offices. “Scan” and “Torch Song” by Bentley Prince Street, featuring Antron® Legacy nylon, were used in dramatic shapes and colors to add interest, and in quiet linear patterns to break up long hallways.

Retail Category Winner: Gensler
The Allsteel San Francisco Resource Center was designed by Gensler’s San Francisco office as a destination spot for the design community. It pushes the design envelope with clever references to the Bay area, while being mindful of the company’s national brand. Custom banded carpets made of Antron® Legacy nylon, by Tandus, play on the diagonal nature of iconic San Francisco streets and plans of the nearby Bay Bridge. The diagonal pattern provides a contrast that sets off furniture displays and prevents the space from feeling rectilinear. Dramatic red walls reference the Pan Asian influence unique to the area, and abundant natural light contributed to the Silver LEED rating.

Healthcare Merit Winner: Looney Ricks Kiss Architects
When the doctors of OrthoMemphis PC asked Looney Ricks Kiss Architects to consolidate all of their locations under one roof, they requested a space that could serve 80-plus people and feel like a grand hotel, not a medical clinic. They also needed materials that could withstand abuse from crutches, wheelchairs and high traffic, as well as young patients. Designers used different types of seating in the lobby to overcome that ‘waiting room’ feel, and clean lines to create continuity throughout the office. Carpet was one of the first design elements selected, and the designers chose Lees Carpets’ “The Groove” and “Connecting Stripes,” featuring Antron® Legacy nylon, for it coloration, texture and varying pattern scale.

Public Spaces Merit Winner: EwingCole
Liberty Science Center was originally founded in the 1980s to support the science curriculum in New Jersey public schools. The demand proved so great that from the day the facility opened, it was too small to accommodate student visitors. The recent renovation and expansion by EwingCole consolidates offices, increases and consolidates the exhibition space and creates an entrance space sized to accommodate the busloads of children that visit the museum daily. Designers used color, signage and space to immediately engage young visitors. To quiet exhibition spaces, various colors of “Myth,” by Bentley Prince Street, featuring Antron Lumena® solution dyed nylon, were chosen to coordinate with the exhibits and resist the wear and tear of foot traffic.

Large Office Merit Winner: Corgan Associates, Inc.
Corgan Associates faced a rewarding challenge in designing the corporate headquarters for Rent-A-Center, who favored a neutral grey palette. The designers sought to create a classic, straight-forward design that also pushed the envelope, and they proposed a warm, neutral palette with bold color accents to add interest to the space. To join together the two wings of the boomerang-shaped building, they used a consistent palette and finishes. Carpet runs in straight lines through the wings and merges to form acute angles where they join. Various colors of “Boucle Twist” by Blueridge Carpet Mills and “Dessau” by Shaw Contract Group, both featuring Antron® Legacy nylon, blend seamlessly with the terrazzo floor in the lobby and carry the color palette throughout the building.

Large Office Merit Winner- HOK
AOL’s Los Angeles office features a combination of interactive environments, private offices and technical spaces. HOK capitalized on the unique geometries of the building and the company’s new branding to develop the design and palette of the office. Designers opened the low ceilings to create more space and built floating offices that are anchored by drop ceilings mirrored on the floor by carpet. Bentley Prince Street styles “Scan,” “Double Entendre,” “Au Courant” and “Fame,” featuring Antron® Legacy nylon, are some of the strongest components of the design because the colors and patterns signal the difference between public and private spaces, as well as help to guide foot traffic.

Small Office Merit Winner: Gensler
Incredible views of the San Francisco Bay inspired Gensler San Francisco’s design for client Chemoil Corporation. Designers chose two colors of “Glass Lines” by Karastan Contract, featuring Antron® Glimmer nylon, to evoke the iridescent colors and textures of the Bay. To reinforce the global nature of the company, designers painted the core of the building in four bold colors that symbolize the four corners of the world. The nearly 360º views of the bay are left unobstructed due to glass front conference rooms located along the perimeter, and open desk workspaces.

“The projects honored this year show the creativity that carpet can inspire,” said Bobby Berrier, vice president, INVISTA Commercial Flooring. “More and more, designers are looking to carpet to provide inspiration for their projects, and mills are meeting this need with innovative carpets inspired by the unique fibers and yarn combinations available only with Antron® carpet fiber.”

Judges for the Antron® Carpet Fiber Design Award were Richard Carlson of Swanke Hayden Connell Architects, Tama Duffy Day of Perkins + Will, Eric Engstrom, founder and emeritus, EDG Interior Architecture + Design, Carol Jones of Kasian Architecture Interior Design & Planning Ltd. and Richard Pollack of POLLACK architecture.