Herman Miller’s new Los Angeles showroom, designed by Atlanta-based tvsdesign, not only provides the manufacturer with a vast new 18,000-sq.-ft. facility to revitalize its West Coast presence, but also reaffirms the company’s commitment to environmental stewardship. Set in a 1956 former warehouse in Culver City, the new facility offers space suitable for multiple configurations to accommodate a range of needs, and bowstring wood trusses create a dramatic design element. The tvsdesign team employed a host of environmentally sustainable measures that are intended to earn the project LEED-CI Platinum certification.

"Sustainability is an essential component of this project. It's imperative that the space be a model for sustainable practices now and in the future," says Lori Gee, Herman Miller's director of workplace solutions. "We've designed more than just a showroom—it's a platform from which we can educate others about the environment and demonstrate how they, too, can make a difference."

In designing this facility, 20 percent of building materials and products were manufactured within 500 miles of the site, and 75 percent of construction waste was recycled and diverted from landfills. Other eco-friendly measures include use of energy-efficient light fixtures and occupancy sensors; MBDC-, BIFMA level-, and Greenguard-certified products and materials to assure superior indoor air quality; and the company’s Energy Manager and Convia’s Energy Track system to monitor and control energy consumption.

Besides achieving the most environmentally sustainable project as possible, the tvsdesign team, led by principal Steve Clem, sought to create an aesthetic that pays homage to Herman Miller’s original Los Angeles showroom, designed by Charles and Ray Eames in 1948. “There was a significant effort to complement Herman Miller's design legacy throughout the showroom," Clem says. “This was accomplished through a collection of curved walls and freestanding forms. Eames plywood screens, for example, are not only used as space dividers, but also as artwork. These are the types of details that make the space so delightful and unique.”

This new showroom opened on Oct. 8, 2009, and its LEED certification status is currently pending.