Grey is the New Beige

      To us, interior design students, grey is an essential color for the majority of our color pallets. Grey is not as clear as black and white. Sometimes it looks black, sometimes blue, and it can even look pink or purple. There are so many shades of grey when it comes to home decor, furnishings and of course wall paint. The question to ask is whether you want to go warm or cold? Do you want shades of grey that lean more toward brown or blue? The endless possibilities with grey are what makes it such a successful staple color.

Here are some trending grey home furnishings and accessories:



 Haiku Sofa from GamFratesi



 Play Coat Rack Shadow from Normann Copenhagen



 Under the Bell Pendant Light from Muuto


 Splash Coat Rack by BluDot


 Isometric Urbanism Pillow from Society6


 Tobias Chair from IKEA


 Moodi Sideboard by Zweed

Google's California HQ, nightmare of total surveillance?

Last week, Bjarke Ingels and Thomas Heatherwick announced that they were collaborating on an ambitious and massive new Google Headquarter in Mountain View, California. As we can see in the renderings, it is much more than just an office. There are bike rails, retail spaces, and a lot more of fun ideas going on, hoping to bring new life to the unique local environment.

However, there are some negative views of this structure, especially about the translucent canopy structures which is reminiscent of giant greenhouses and "Truman Show-style nightmare of total surveillance." I understand how and where Google is going for since BIM modeling is such a trend these days. Also, becuase of its unique style and immense scale, the building itself can be a landmark within the city. What is your opinions? Do you want to work here (not because it is Google)?

Why become a LEED professional?

I found this article, 5 reasons it’s worth it to become a LEED professional, to be very honest and true. The article started out talking about the changing times of our economy and professional fields, most of the change being not positive. But the environmental sustainability field is unique field for this time, it’s growing rapidly. This field is expanding mainly because of the long-term economic possibilities and political popularity. The sustainability field is linked directly to LEED. Seeing these common trends it makes sense why people are becoming LEED professionals. 

The article states not only is becoming a LEED professional benefit for ones self and career, but also our world as a whole. The first point Christopher Gray touched on is the demand for LEED professionals is becoming more prevalent. The demand for LEED professionals has grown 46% over the past year. The second reason is the labor demand is unlimited for LEED professionals. According to the UNEP Buildings and Climate Change contributed to 30% of green house gas emissions globally. We need to transform the built environment and it is going to take LEED professionals to do so. This also has a direct relation the US demand for LEED buildings making more jobs available for those LEED professionals. The third reason Gray mentioned was the fact that the only global green building rating system is LEED. Therefore, LEED professional attributes are in high demand and are globally marketable. By becoming LEED professional you are that much more competitive. 

The fourth theory remaining is that LEED professionals will profit from the increasing need for sustainable products. The built environment as a whole is shifting which triggers a domino affect in all the adjacent fields. Global awareness about sustainability is going up and it’s not only with the built environment. The government is also getting involved with funding for new sustainable programs. The last and final reason talks about the dramatic roles LEED will play in climate change and how necessary LEED professionals support is. Overall, the built environment is beginning to change for the better and we are finally being proactive and making a change. This would not be possible without a rating system and community of LEED. 

Source

Gray, Christopher. "5 Reasons It's worth It to Become a LEED Professional." USGBC. USGBC, 15 Dec. 2014. Web. 9 Oct. 2014.

Image: http://republicstorage.com/resource_center/leed_info